Tale as Old as Time
by Kennedy Leigh Morgan
Summary: Two years after Elphaba's death Glinda's finally making good. But her first attempts to contact countries outside of Oz may turn out to be more of an adventure than she planned for. Gloq, Elphiyero.
1. Once Upon a Time

**Tale As Old As Time**

**Prologue**

**Now wait just a clock tick! I know it's hard for all of us to get it through our blissful blond(ish) brains that something like Wicked could actually choose some people like Gregory Maguire, Winnie Holzman, Steven Schwartz, Marc Platt and the other persons at Universal to own it. But it's happened, and it's real, and we can wave our ridiculous wands around all we like, it won't change anything. It doesn't belong to us, it never did, it belongs to the aforementioned people!**

Little feet beat a frantic rhythm against thick green carpet as three-year-old Danilo Tremaine ran after his giggling older sister. Though he was two years younger than she, and shorter, he'd almost managed to catch up.

"Ahhh!" He squealed as he was cooped off his feet and into the air.

"Gotcha!" His captor cried, gleefully sweeping him around. "Humph, you're getting too big!"

"Mama!" Danilo protested, laughing. "You're silly."

"Oh, I'm 'si-wy' am I?" His mother replied with mock severity. The boy nodded. "Hmm…well we'll just have to see how silly I am once I get my hands on your sister!"

"Ahhh," Both children screeched. The girl, Elianora, who had stopped when her brother had been captured, dashed again for their bedroom, not caring that she ran right out of her pink slippers.

Her bubbly laughter rang out as she sprang on to her big bed and dove into the downy covers. Seconds later her mother jogged into the room, still carrying her giggling little brother as well as her slippers and the bath towel that had been dropped earlier on.

"I beat you! I win!" Elianora joyfully announced as she emerged from beneath her comforter.

"Yes you did," her mother agreed. She pretended to be plum tuckered out as she set her son on his own bed and helped him crawl beneath his blankets.

When Danilo was settled, she set her daughter's footwear at the end of her bed, and draped the fluffy pink towel over a hook on the wall, both of their little bathrobes followed neatly to their places. Then she took her own place in the rocking chair between the beds, her throne of sorts.

She was Glinda the Good, ruler of Oz, powerful sorceress, the Good Witch of the North and a Mother. The latter title had taken over five years ago as her favorite.

"Mommy tell us a story," Elianora demanded. "While we wait for Daddy."

"All right," Glinda agreed. This bedtime ritual was a favorite as well. "Would you like to hear about the Sneetches, or Rapunzel, or Cimorene, or-

"No, we always hear those. Tell us a new one."

Glinda wracked her brain for a fairy tale or nursery rhyme they hadn't heard and couldn't think of one.

"I think you've heard them all. Pick your favorite," she tried.

"No, a new one. Make one up like Daddy does."

Glinda nearly protested, she wanted to tell them that making up stories was Daddy's thing and that she simply couldn't do it. But before she could an idea popped into her head. She'd tell them of how she fell in love with their father; she'd just tweak it a bit to sound like a fairytale.

"All right, I'll tell you a tale," she began in her best tale-telling voice, "Of a beautiful princess, a Tinman and of Witches and Dragons and Nomes."

"Oh my," Elianora cried anxiously.

Glinda waved out the lights until only the faint glow from the fireplace and the children's nightlight remained and shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Once upon a time…"

* * *

**A/N: Credit for this also has to go to Patricia C. Wrede, I've borrowed a couple ideas from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (awesome books!) for this, though this story is in no way a crossover. **


	2. In a Magical Forest

**Tale as Old as Time**

**Once Upon A Time**

"Attention!"

At the words eighteen sets of hooves squared up. Eighteen straight backs straightened further and eighteen hands went to just as many green and gold caps in salute. Countless cameras were readied and aimed as the anxious press waited for their favorite subject to arrive.

With bated breath the crowd watched as the huge entrance doors of the Emerald Palace swung open and with very little fanfare a miracle of white fabric, flawless skin and blonde curls exited. Time seemed to stop, but it was only a split clock-tik before bulbs began to flash while reporters shot rapid-fire questions.

The pearly vision descending the palace steps was Glinda the Good. She made her way gracefully to the carriage waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, carrying only her wand. She flashed bright smiles for the photographers, though she answered none of the questions.

"Your Goodness," her footman said with a bow, and then offered her a hand.

Glinda's smile wavered imperceptibly as she noticed who would be fulfilling the position of footman as well as personal bodyguard for the journey. But she recovered quickly and accepted the Tin hand as she stepped up. She threw one last wave and smile to the crowd of reporters and then disappeared into the privacy of the carriage, confident that she'd answered all the relevant questions during the briefing earlier that morning. There would be another upon her return from Ev and the press could certainly wait until then.

"All ready Sir?" Glinda's Driver asked as the Tinman took his place beside him.

"As we'll ever be," was the reply accompanied by a silvery smile.

"Move out!"

In perfect form, seven of the mounted soldiers set off, followed by the carriage and then six more horsemen fell in behind.

"Who would've guessed, huh?" The Driver commented amiably to his companion.

"Guessed what?" The Tinman asked, relaxing a bit as the ride progressed and they got further and further away from the blustering city.

"That we'd be headed for another country for one," The Driver chuckled. "Certainly not Ev at that."

"No one I expect. I suppose we know who to thank though, of course."

"Of course. Thank goodness. It's a wonder what Her Ladyship's done for Oz."

"Yes it is," The Tinman agreed in a distant tone that suggested he didn't really care to discuss it further.

He wondered what the Driver would say if he informed him that he'd attended school with "Her Ladyship". Back when Boq had been his name, Boq instead of 'Tinman', or 'Master Woodsman', or as it was now 'Lieutenant Tinman". He couldn't help the swell of pride he felt at the last title. He'd worked so hard for it. He couldn't tell Glinda of the feelings he still harbored for her, certainly not in the state he was in. So he'd acquired a spot in her guard, acquiescing to watch her from a far, moving up in rank until finally, finally he was assigned to be her personal guard. If he did well on this test run, this pioneering journey to landscapes unknown, he'd get to keep the position.

Boq indulged in a private smile at the thought as they made their way into the Ozian countryside. He'd be her shadow, able to love and protect her in the only way possible for a Tinman who had lost his heart long before any witch had put a spell on him.

Glinda sighed as she rearranged her enormous dress and shifted position for the umpteenth time in what seemed hours. She wished once again that she were traveling by bubble, it was so much faster. Unfortunately forging alliances with foreign countries required an escort, hence the carriage and the presence of the Guard accompanying her.

She sighed again, thinking of all the work that had already gone into this trip. It had all begun while she'd been studying the Grimmerie and discovered a way to create a pass through the Deserts surrounding Oz. She was still hazy on most of the magic in the Grimmerie, but this at least had seemed clear enough so she'd begun to focus on that particular spell and what it would take to make it happen.

Then there had been the political preliminaries. One couldn't just waltz into a foreign country and expect to make friends and play nice. She'd had to send out dozens of letter's carried by Birds to get just one country to agree to a conference, which had taken months. But finally what had at first been just a small idea she'd had to bat around turned into something real, something doable. And here she was paving the way to what she hoped would be a brighter future for not just the Ozians but the Evians as well. It had been one thing to reverse and fix all the things the Wizard had done to screw the country up. Finally she was getting to create something good herself instead of just fixing the mistakes others had left behind for her to take care of.

"Lady Glinda?" A gruff but kind voice called from outside her carriage. "We're ready for you."

She'd been so lost in thought she hadn't even been aware of them stopping at the borders of Oz. Outside her window the sun was setting, as well it should have been, going from the Emerald City to the eastern border of the Country was no small feat. They'd been driving onward for hours. She could only hope the map the Evians had sent was accurate and that there would be a place where they could stop and rest once they made it through the pass across the dessert and into Ev.

"Thank you, Commander Doneleise," she answered without bothering to open the door just yet. She reached under her seat and pulled out the Grimmerie, letting the cover fall open as she balanced it carefully on her knees. She fingered through the delicate pages until she'd found the one she'd marked and carefully reread the spell for the last time.

When she was confident enough that she could do it right she carefully placed the spell book back under the seat and stepped out of the carriage. Her guards had flanked out on either side of the carriage, they all faced the churning sands of the Impassable Dessert, waiting for the pass that would take them to whatever lay on the other side.

She looked to the Commander for a final confirmation that they were ready to try it. He nodded so she too, faced the Dessert, staring at it as if she were daring it not to let her through. She ignored the men completely as she picked a point directly ahead of them where she wanted the pass to form. With practiced fluidity she cleared all thoughts except of that point and the spell from her mind, let her hand and wand rise ever so slightly from her mind and began to say the spell. It wasn't a chant, like so many of the other spells in the Grimmerie. This one was like a poem, or even closer to a song, it was meant to be lyrical and deep.

_Grønn blader flyter , slottet på skummet_

_Skipet av min er skipet når ville alle komme hjem?_

No one said anything as Glinda finished the spell, and nobody moved, not even the horses. For an excruciatingly long moment nothing happened. Then as Glinda lowered her hands and finally refocused on reality something did. The sky and the desert ahead of them began to blur, as if they were all suddenly seeing the same mirage begin to appear. The blur became a ripple and the ripple split the sky, right down the center of the point Glinda had picked out. Light poured out, and the tear grew wider until it finally reached its critical mass. There was a deafening crack, then silence, and where only the tear had been was a gaping hole in their view. It looked like a window, through it, in violent contrast to the dessert on either side, was the image of a forest.

The soldiers standing around Glinda gaped then smiled as they looked to their leader for direction.

"Gentleman," Glinda said with flourish and a large smile, gesturing them to get moving.

The soldiers went in pairs, the first half disappeared through the…whatever it was first, followed by the carriage and finally by the second half of the guards.

Boq was surprised to find that going through wasn't really any different from going in or out of a door. He'd expected some odd sensation. Cold, hot, wind, _something. _ But there was nothing, they were simply on the edge of a desert one moment and on the edge of a lush forest the next.

The hole closed almost immediately after everyone was through and Boq wondered if it was supposed to do that or if the magic had only lasted that long. He didn't have time to dwell on it however, because the caravan was moving again, still in the same northeastern pattern they'd followed all through Oz.

"There should be a road a few klicks up ahead," Boq mentioned to the Driver. "We'll take that and follow it straight East."

"Yes sir," the Driver replied politely though he knew all of this of course.

They rolled along in comfortable silence for while, Boq dutifully took carefully note of all the surroundings. On his left the thick forest began several yards away from the road. On his right stretched windy grasslands. He could see for miles on that side but couldn't see a thing out of the ordinary. It was a mesmerizing sight, and it entranced him and he nearly missed the faint part in the tall grass fifty feet from the carriage. He snapped his gaze back to examine it better, on second glance it didn't look so strange but he still felt wrong about it.

"Sir?"

"Shhh…" Boq hissed, raising a hand to signal the Commander.

Within clock-tiks the fifteen escorting soldiers had slowed and encircled the carriage. Everyone was still and silent, waiting for something and looking around for everything. The woods were hushed, unnaturally so. The grassy expanse to the right seemed just as still. Boq gnawed his tinny lip as the soft breeze picked up just enough to make the trees sway and the grass wave.

It also masked the whistle of an incoming arrow until it was too late. There was a fraction of a second of noise and then as suddenly as it had come the noise ended with a sickening thud as the arrow buried itself deep in flesh. The Driver of Glinda's carriage slumped forward, his features frozen in morbid surprise.

"We're under attack!" One of the mounted soldiers cried out, as if it needed to be stated.

All at once the air was alive with arrows. They whizzed passed in all directions with chaotic accuracy.

'_Thank you Captain Obvious_,' Boq thought before reacting to the danger. He turned his attention away from the soldiers falling victim to more arrows and the others who were fighting an enemy they couldn't see. His thoughts were completely focused on protecting the woman in the backseat.

With grim determination, Boq pulled the leather reins from the Driver's lifeless hands and drew a revolver from under the seat. Six bullets were all he had at the ready. Six bullets and two horses that were made for working, not running, were his only means to get his beloved to safety. It wasn't much but it would have to be enough.

"Hyah!" He roared and cracked the reins, surprising the horses into a gallop. He tugged hard to the left, pulling the carriage to the east, into the forest and away from the danger.

He heard the Commander give orders for the remaining men to retreat as the horses plowed through the green foliage. Then there was nothing but the sound of the carriage crashing through the trees. He hoped that since they were out of earshot of the battle they were out of the range of the arrows as well.

At Boq's urging the panicked horses lunged deeper into the forest as fast as their massive legs and cumbersome burden would allow. He knew that at the pace they were going they'd be near exhaustion within twenty minutes. As the trees and underbrush grew steadily thicker he realized they were going to have to slow down anyways. He kept them going in the same general direction but they picked their course through the trees themselves, allowing him to concentrate on whether or not they were being pursued.

With one hand occupied by the reins, and the other holding his revolver he carefully stood and climbed onto the seat, the added height was barely enough to let him see over the roof. All he could see was the disarray of wreckage left in their wake, but his eyes finally focused between the green and brown blur of the woods to spot a lone pursuer on horseback. At first he wondered if the _thing_ was dead, its face was a gruesome portrait of congealed gray, broken only by hideous teeth and red eye slits.

Boq brought up the revolver and fired off a round. The carriage jerked and the shot went wild. The rider only got closer. He gulped in a breath and re-aimed, praying the carriage would stay steady just long enough to get the shot off. He bit his lip and squeezed the trigger once more. The rider flew backwards off his horse as the bullet ripped through his middle. Satisfied that the imminent danger was gone Boq turned back to driving. Trees zipped by, but the forest seemed oddly blurred. He blinked to clear his vision. His eyes snapped back open as the carriage gave a violent shake and the forest seemed to melt together.

The horses careened into the blur of green, hauling the carriage along and Boq's world went black.


	3. A Good Witch and a Tin Man

**Tale as Old as Time**

**In a Magical Forest**

Glinda let out a decidedly unladylike groan as consciousness returned to her. Cautiously she pried first one eye open, then the other; her vision was blurry but as she blinked it cleared almost completely.

She was lying on the floor of her carriage. No…not the floor…she was lying _against_ the floor. A glance down revealed she was actually sitting on the driver's side door, wedged between her seat and the floor.

"Oh great," she muttered as she realized that even if she stood up, the other door, her only exit, would still be a foot above her head.

She stood up anyway, carefully testing out her sore body before she let her grip on the sit loosen. She eyed her escape route, wondering if she could magick the door open and then bubble herself out. It was worth a shot. She reached for her wand, but found that the staff had snapped somehow in whatever collision had gotten her into this mess.

With a frustrated sigh and a sour expression Glinda let the broken wand fall to the floor. She could still conjure her bubble and float out but she wasn't sure if she could get the door to open without it popping first. Her already grim mood only darkened as she realized that if no one had come to bail her out then her driver was most likely hurt worse than she, dead, or he'd abandoned her.

As Glinda pondered other options the latch on the door over her head began to rattle and move. But she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She bit her lip and waited anxiously, knowing that if her would-be rescuer wasn't the friendly sort she was helpless.

At last the door was hauled open. And to her relief (and dismay) a gleaming silver face stared down at her.

"Thank Lurline. What took you so long?" She said. Her impatience softened by her relief to see a familiar face.

With an apologetic smile the Tinman reached down to give her a hand up. Glinda waved him off.

"Stand back," she said, before casting the simple spell for her bubble and rising gracefully out of her makeshift prison and the descending to the ground beside the capsized carriage.

She straightened her gown while the Tinman clunked down from his perch. She waited until his feet hit the dirt before moving to survey the wreckage. What had once been a magnificent white and gold mode of transportation was now a pile of dented, leaf-stained, broken wood. The axel and harness set looked as if it had been completely twisted off when the carriage had tipped. Part of the front end was wrapped around a tree.

Glinda noticed the torn leather straps that dangled from the busted footboard and immediately looked around for the horses. She felt and odd rush of joy when she caught sight of both animals just yards away, tied to another tree. Both were gleaming with sweat, their ebony manes matted and tangled with twigs but it looked as if they'd escaped the crash unharmed.

"I went after them once I made sure you were alright," Came the Tinman's mumbled explanation when he noticed the objects of her attention.

"What in Oz happened?" She demanded as she turned her gaze back to the mangled carriage.

"I…I'm not sure. The forest was…it changed somehow. Shifted."

Glinda shot him a disbelieving look. "And the others?"

"I don't know," Boq confessed. "When I left, most had fallen or retreated into the forest. The few remaining couldn't have lasted long."

"And you just left them?" Glinda exclaimed, anger now evident in her voice and expression.

"I did my job!" Boq retorted defensively. "Those men are trained to fight to the death to protect _you_. Those men-

"Have families!" Glinda yelled, cutting him off. "They have people who love them. They have lives outside their jobs. And you just sacrificed them for two extra minutes to run away?"

"My job is to do whatever it takes to make sure you return to Oz safely. All of those men shared that purpose and would have done the same thing in my position. With all due respect _My Lady_ there was nothing else to do."

"I could have magicked them –all of us- to safety were I not being tossed around the back of a carriage in your attempt to play hero!"

"I did what I had to do. I'm not happy about it. But for now you are safe, and those men weren't 'sacrificed' for nothing."

"I'm safe? That's a great way to put it," Glinda snapped. Letting her anger overwhelm her sorrow for the men were gone so she could live. "The way I see it I'm lost in a forest with a penchant for shifting around, with a heartless Tinman and a totaled carriage. Oh and I may or may not be out of danger from unknown, hostile natives. You call that safe?"

"You could be dead," Boq stated simply. Truthfully he was beginning to feel a flicker of doubt, wondering if it would not have been better to seek her counsel before making rash executive decisions. He pushed the thought away. Questioning himself now wasn't going to help anybody.

"But you're right," he continued. "Safe is a relative term. We need to get moving; we'll pick a direction and stick to it. We can't be too far off course."

"Are you crazy? Did you never leave the farmlands or something?" Glinda started again. "When you get lost in the woods you stay in one spot. It's harder to find a moving target."

"Exactly. I'd rather be moving than sitting around waiting for your 'unknown, hostile natives' to find us. How about you?"

Glinda hated to admit it, but he had a point. They were better off traveling.

"Fine," She said finally. And began walking through the trees to where the horses were tied.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting the horses. Or did you plan to walk to 'safety'."

"Well those horses aren't exactly the kind you'd use for trail riding," he answered nervously.

"But they are all we have at the moment," Glinda countered. "Your farm girl friend may have been willing to traipse all over Oz with you but I'm already late for the most important meeting of my reign, I do not have time for a nice stroll in the forest."

Boq looked up at the horses skeptically. They were gargantuan. Bigger even than the ones his father had used on the farm, just their shoulders were as tall as he was. They'd leave him behind in the dust and he had the sinking feeling that Glinda wouldn't really mind.

"Whatever," he finally conceded.

Glinda hadn't bothered to wait for his reply however. She'd already untied 'her' horse and was leading him over to the carriage; presumably so she'd have some leverage to climb on his back. Boq sighed and followed suite.

The horse he was left with was gentle at least, and didn't protest when Boq clunked over with him to Glinda. She didn't pay him much attention but promptly handed him her horse's broken, but usable, reins. Then she bubbled back up into the carriage, startling him but not the huge animals he held.

She reemerged a few minutes later, armed with three bulky bags in her bubble, and wearing a vastly different outfit.

"Would you kindly stop mimicking a codfish and strap this," she shoved him a bag, "To your horse."

He didn't dare reply except to snatch up the bag and tie it securely to the rump of his horse, using the remnant of its harness. Then walked over to the front of the carriage and rummaged through the wreckage until he found his revolver and the small bag he kept ammunition and is holster in and took it to his horse to shove into the bag on its back.

When he finished Glinda was still struggling to hoist her two bags up to her own horse, who's behind was easily a foot higher than her head. He crossed to her, taking both bags from her hands and swiftly throwing them in place.

She turned on him, her pretty features set in a fierce glare but it only lasted a second.

"Thank you," she sighed, her whole demeanor softening into something far more familiar and comfortable. At least for Glinda the Good.

"You're welcome," Boq said carefully, looking down at the diminutive woman.

For a moment he just stood there studying her, but they both realized that his arms were still resting just over her shoulders and they were standing quite close. Boq coughed and moved away quickly before she had to ask him to.

"I imagine those were Commander Doneleise's doing."

"What?" she asked, feeling a little bewildered.

"The uh – outfit," Boq stammered, gesturing to her ensemble. "The Commander's always a stickler about emergency everything, I just assumed…

"Right. Let's get going shall we?" She said, saving him from further opportunity to embarrass himself or to tick her off again.

She took the reins from his hands and tugged her horse to the over turned carriage front so she could mount.

She stilled the massive stallion and deftly stepped onto the rigging that hung several feet above the ground. Then she simply swung herself upwards. The horse's back was expansive enough that she could have spun all the way around or stood up and walked on it easily. As it was she just shifted sideways slightly and dangled both legs over the same side. She saw no reason to abandon all propriety and wasn't sure if she could straddle this behemoth of an animal anyway.

Boq watched Glinda's every move carefully. He'd ridden horses before of course. But not without a saddle since before he'd gone to college and he'd certainly never tried since all his limbs had been turned to metal.

When she finished mounting and turned to see he hadn't done the same she threw him a look that clearly voiced her impatience. He scrambled to fix the problem, imitating what she'd done almost exactly. His stiff joints made climbing up the rigging awkward and after three tries his desperate leap across his horse's back was somewhat less than graceful. He felt like a giant silver klutz but mustered what pride he had left and settled himself astride his horse.

"Are you ready?" Glinda asked, eyebrows raised and the unspoken 'It's about time' evident in her tone.

"Yes, thanks for the help," Boq retorted, though he was mortified with himself as soon as the words tumbled out.

"Good," She snapped, and spurred her horse onward.


	4. Take a Walk in the Woods

**Tale As Old As Time**

**Take a Walk in the Woods**

**I know I said I'd update Ever After first, but the Tale muses took everybody hostage and demanded that I write this on first. Thanks to all who have reviewed this, I know it's been a while. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Would you stop looking at that every six clock-tiks _please_?" 

Three feet away, the object of Glinda's current frustration chanced a glance at her, looking up from the map he'd been perusing at odd intervals since they'd started out.

"Well forgive me for trying to figure out where we are," Boq retorted. After two hours of enduring her icy silence and fiery glares he was beginning to grow equally frustrated with her.

"The forest changes, the map doesn't, ergo, the map is useless and staring at it isn't going to help that."

Boq had to admit she had a point, but that didn't make him feel any better. He'd never been lost before in his life. He'd hoped never to have the experience but apparently it wasn't in his cards. And Glinda's unexpected hostility wasn't helping things either. Briefly he wondered if it was him or the situation that had her so wound up. Then he noticed she was still glaring daggers at him and hastily discontinued that line of thought and refolded the map in an attempt to appease her.

As the Tinman tucked the map back into the bag strapped on his horse Glinda turned away. Her glare melted away only to be replaced the perpetual frown she'd been sporting since they'd come out of the gate.

"Are you sure you can't just bubble up to see where we are?"

Glinda's lips pressed into a firm line as he finished his question and he wished he hadn't asked it.

"We've been over this," She said in a dangerously quiet tone. "I can't control the bubble enough to get through the trees without my wand. Personally I'd rather be a little lost and intact than be a bloody mess after falling fifty feet out of a popped bubble."

That quieted him for a few minutes. When he'd gathered his courage he looked over to her and realized he suddenly had nothing to stare at but the back of her head and the rump of her horse. Deciding it wouldn't do to have the woman he was supposed to be protecting charging ahead of him he nudged his horse to speed up and fall in step with hers. It earned him another glare but he supposed he'd have to resign himself to many of those this trip.

"We should stop soon," he said after a few minutes. "The sun's going down, we need to set up camp before we lose all the light."

Glinda sighed, looking up to the sky that peeked through the canopy of trees. Brilliant shads of pinks and oranges had taken over the blue, announcing the departure of the sun with flair. As disappointed as she was that they wouldn't find civilization befor nightfall she had absolutely no desire to trek through the woods in the dark. They'd come across a few animals over the course of their ride. None were dangerous, but night brought out the worst in the wild.

"We need to let the horses drink and graze too," she finally agreed. "I can hear running water up ahead, we'll stop there."

Now that they had a destination in mind the rest of the day's ride flew by. Within a few minutes their horses were parked at the edge of a creek, drinking greedily. Glinda slid down from her horse, careful not to land in the water and went upstream a bit to get a drink of her own.

Once again Boq attempted to copy her moves; with much more clunky affects. He clattered down from his mount, just managing to avoid becoming a heap in the water.

Glinda watched him, and taking into account the Tinman's awkwardness around the horses decided who would be doing which chores in setting up camp for the night.

"Find a flat spot and get a fire going," she ordered. "I'll take care of the horses."

"Yes ma'am," the Tinman replied, relieved that he wouldn't be tending to the monstrous animals. They were okay to ride on, but he would be happy if he didn't have to go near them until morning.

He pulled the packs down from the horses' backs and carried them several yards away from the river. There was a thicket upstream and into the trees just a bit that he supposed would be the best place for shelter. He set the bags down at the base of a tree, pulled a hatchet from one of them and set out to gather firewood to last them through the night. He was careful to stay within eyesight of Glinda; if anything were to happen he wanted to be as close as possible.

Glinda stood watch while the horses had their fill of water, glad to be free of her accursed keeper for a little while. Of all the people for her to be lost in a forest with it had to be _him_. It had been bad enough when she hadn't been able to stop the Wizard from giving him a last minute spot on the guard; and that she couldn't keep Doneleise from promoting him to her personal detail. Now she had to deal with him one on one.

Secretly, in her deepest of hearts, she knew that her anger at him was slightly misplaced. It had less to do with the fact that he'd stirred so many into a witch-hunt –Morrible had been the real maestro behind that orchestration- and more to do with the fact that his mere presence brought many things she'd buried to the surface. He dredged up memories she couldn't bear to remember and questions she didn't want to contemplate. Memories of who she'd been and questions of who had just what to do with the deaths of those who had once been closest to her.

It was easier to hate him for being the Tinman; for being the leader of the Witch-hunt; for aiding Dorothy and her gang. But it wasn't easier to travel with him because she did.

An insistent nudge from her horse broke Glinda from her thoughts. The tug on the reins in her hand brought to her attention the grassy bank opposite where she stood holding the two horses. She looked incredulously at the two horses that were doing a rather good job of conveying what they wanted. She decided that simply letting them go wasn't the best idea, and pulled herself back up to the back of her horse so she could cross with them without getting wet.

Once on the other side she let them wander the bank to graze. And concentrated on shoving thoughts of the past back to the back of her mind.

An hour had passed before Glinda decided the horses had had their fill and took them back across the creek to where the Tinman had set up camp. It was dark by then and she was glad for the glow of firelight as she tied the horses to a sapling nearby and wearily went to join him near the fire.

He'd gotten into the packs and laid out a bedroll not far from the fire. He was fiddling with something in the coals and she realized it was a food-tin.

"Here," he said, transferring something from the hot tin to a clean, cold one. "I found a pool with trout around the creek bend. It's not much of a meal, but we don't know how long we'll be out here and I don't want to use up the emergency rations too fast."

Glinda accepted the tin and sat down on the bedroll to eat.

"There's fresh water in the canteen," he indicated the container near the edge of the blankets.

She hesitantly took a few bites of the fish. It was a little bland, but it was good, and more importantly it was food.

"Don't you eat?" She demanded when she realized he was watching her.

"No," he said simply.

"Sleep?" She gestured to the lack of another bedroll.

"No," he explained with the tired tone borne of having to do so too many times. "I don't need food, there's no place to put it. I don't need sleep, but I can sleep if I want. I don't feel pain, but a heavy enough blow can stop me for a few minutes and if I'm not careful I rust over."

Glinda looked a little disconcerted. It made perfect sense, but she'd never really given the matter any thought. Awkward silence descended over them as she finished eating. But it wasn't really silence. The bonfire popped, a bird called in the distance and the horses stamped around a bit, as they got comfortable for the night. All of it seemed suddenly loud. Though she knew the expanse of the forest around her, the world within the glow of the fire was far too small for comfort and she desperately wished she could click her heels and be home again.

She hurried through the rest of her dinner and set the tin next to the fire pit.

"I'll wash it in the morning," she said, hoping she could just go to bed and wake up to find this was all a dream.

The Tinman nodded.

"I won't bank the fire, it'll get too cold. You'll have to sleep with the light, I'm sorry."

Glinda didn't care. The light made things seem less oppressive, and the crackle of the flames was much more familiar than the rushing of the creek that it helped mask. She wondered if there was a spell in the Grimmerie that would muffle the sounds of the woods entirely, but decided that even if there were it would be hopeless to try to make it out in the light of the fire. So she left the Grimmerie in her pack and let the idea go.

She tugged off her boots and crawled into the bedroll, conscious of the Tinman's presence. At least he'd stopped watching her. Instead he stared resolutely ahead, as if he'd finally noticed her discomfort and tried to lessen it. She noticed his hatchet rested at his side and his revolver was clutched in one shiny hand.

The Tinman might have been a nuisance, and she promised herself that she still wasn't happy with him at all. But at least he was resolutely inclined to protect her. Confidant in that, Glinda let herself drift off to sleep.

Boq turned his gaze back to Glinda when he was certain she was sleeping deeply. The upper half of her face was the only thing that peeked out of the blankets. She looked innocent, angelic with her hair spilling around her head to create a halo in the firelight. For once she looked relaxed. The frown he'd come to expect was missing and she looked as beautiful as ever and more like the girl he'd fallen in love with years ago.

He wondered what had happened to that girl. The one with no cares but what the latest fashion trend was. The one who had seemed to brighten any room she went in. The one who had an endless supply of smiles and encouragement.

He supposed that girl wasn't really gone. After all Glinda the Good was nothing if not fashionable. And she hadn't stopped brightening things up in any sense of the word; whether by redecorating, delivering good news, or just the flash of camera bulbs as they followed her everywhere. She had nothing but smiles for her people, nothing but encouragement; even in the roughest of times in the aftermath of the Wizard's departure.

But it wasn't the same. There was a weight to her now. A burden she seemed to carry with flawless poise. It was a dark one, which tainted her voice as she delivered the most wonderful news to her adoring public. It kept the real joy from the styles she promoted. And it kept her smile from reaching her eyes most of the times. And, Boq new, the smiles ended behind closed doors. Like a mask they would fall away.

Her personal aide and servants had nothing but praise for her. But candidly they called her disenchanted. Her guards had the same praise, they would go on and on about her kindness and generosity. But off the record they admitted she was 'preoccupied' and 'aloof'. The meaner ones (mostly scorned wannabe suitors) had various nicknames. Most of them twists on her title having to do with ice and frigidity.

He wondered what had happened to turn the happy-go-lucky girl he had known at school to the woman who had a façade to fool everyone. Maybe the transformation was the price of becoming a leader, a real leader. But he wondered if the cost was worth it.

He stared up at the stars that peeked through the trees wished he could erase whatever had happened to make her so disenchanted. He wished he could make her understand that their predicament wasn't his fault. He wished he could make her believe that he'd done what was best for her. He wished he could make her see who he really was beneath the Tin. He wished he could make her love him.

Wishing only wounded hearts, and he didn't have one to spare. But that didn't really stop him. How could it? Wishes were the only thing he had left in the world.

When Boq turned his thoughts to reality again he saw Glinda shivering beneath her blankets and admonished himself for getting so lost in dreams that he hadn't noticed sooner. His pack had an extra bedroll and he pulled it apart and added the blankets to hers; hoping it wouldn't get any colder. It seemed to help a little but he added some more wood to the fire before he sat back again. This time he was determined to keep a more watchful eye and not let his mind wander to hopeless fantasies.

He did a rather good job at it. The first light began to glimmer through the trees hours later and Boq had vigilantly kept watch. But he let himself relax too soon. As he turned his attention to fixing the fire and putting together breakfast for Glinda, the horses just yards away began to fidget nervously.

Boq looked up from his work, wondering what could make them prance about so when they'd been calm all night. The reason became horrifyingly clear as something moved through the trees. At first, in the scant light, it was only a shadow. But as it drew near it became more solid, more shaggy, and more massive.

Boq's eyes widened as the bear wandered right into camp, sniffing loudly as it went. He grabbed the revolver though it was doubtful that its bullets would penetrate the bear's thick hide. He was just glad it hadn't noticed him yet. But again he thought too soon.

The horses panicked as the bear approached, tugging at the lines holding them told the tree. The sapling snapped and one horse got free. He bucked and danced about. The bear reared and roared and Boq finally _moved_.

He dashed at the massive animal firing the gun as he went and swinging the hatchet madly.

"What in the _he-_" Glinda woke in time to see the bear towering over the Tinman.

She screamed as he fired off more shots, this time hitting it. The bear growled angrily, hurt now. And the Tinman pressed his advantage. The bear seemed to realize it was fighting a losing battle. It dropped on all fours and turned at ran as the Tinman fired off the last of his rounds after it.

As the he gathered his wits Glinda's attention went to the errant horse, which had made it to the creek and gotten its reins caught in a bush. She looked through the trees, trying to find any trace of the huge animal that had retreated into them. When she was certain it was gone she nervously tugged on her boots and dashed after the horse.

"Whoa," she said soothingly to the frightened animal as she approached. She reached out a hand toward him and realized she was shaking. She set her jaw and willed herself to calm down and concentrate on soothing the horse.

He quieted enough to let her come near and she carefully untangled the reins from the bush. He was skittish for a moment, but Glinda coaxed him into taking a handful of grass from her hand and somehow charmed him into calming down. She led him back to where the Tinman was standing, breathing heavily and staring dumbly into the trees where the bear had retreated.

"Let's go," Glinda demanded, hoping her voice wouldn't betray how frightened she'd been. "Now."

The Tinman only nodded in reply. He kicked the fire apart and poured water over the smoldering branches. Glinda rolled up her bedding and stuffed it in a bag and shoved the food tins after it, not caring that they hadn't been washed properly. With any luck they could take care of them in a sink before the day was out.

When she finished the Tinman scooped the bag up and tied it to his horse, having already tied the other two to hers. She looked quickly around their makeshift camp spot to be sure they hadn't left anything before mounting her horse. It was harder without the aid of something to stand on but with a leap and a lot of pulling she managed to climb aboard.

She nudged the horse forward, expecting her companion to follow. When he didn't she turned back to see what the hold up was. It seemed the Tinman was having an even harder time trying to climb up. He tried her jump and pull method, but could neither jump high enough nor pull hard enough with his stiff limbs.

"There's a rock over near the creek," she said impatiently. "Lead your horse over."

The Tinman did as she said but when he reached the rock and found it at the edge of the water he stopped abruptly.

"Oh for Oz sake you're not going to melt," Glinda told him in an exasperated tone. She steered her horse next to the other and took hold of the Tinman's reins. "Here, I'll hold him steady just climb on."

Boq still hesitated; knowing that though he had an extra oilcan in his pack it wouldn't be much help if he were to fall all the way in the water.

A loud, pained roar that wasn't nearly far enough in the distance brought his attention to an entirely different fear.

"Lieutenant," Glinda snapped. "If you are not on that horse in two clock-tiks I'm leaving without you."

Ignoring the water that ran beneath his horse's feet Boq stepped quickly atop the knee-high rock and from there leapt ungracefully to his horse's back. Glinda barely waited for him to catch hold of his reins before she charged off, galloping away from another roar that followed them across the creek and through the trees. Boq looked back to catch a glimpse of the bear lumbering around their abandoned camp and swiftly turned his attention back to following Glinda as fast as his horse would carry him.


	5. Where They Meet Catastrophe

**Tale as Old as Time**

**In Which They Meet a Catastrophe**

* * *

Four days had passed. Boq and Glinda were still lost, with no sign of getting un-lost in the near future. They were still heading east but they hadn't seen a trace of civilization since they'd left the wrecked carriage and they'd both lost count of how many times the forest had shifted after five. The increasing hopelessness of their situation was taking its toll. Glinda's mood had only deteriorated, and Boq's initial cheery façade was disappearing at an alarming rate. They were nearly always at each other's throats.

"You know, for being the man who hiked all over Oz with a foreign girl, you're not much a traveler," Glinda snapped icily at her companion, who was once again mulling over the map.

'You know, for being such a Good Witch you certainly know how to turn into a hag,' Boq thought darkly but didn't dare say it out loud.

They'd stopped at a river's edge to let the horses rest and eat and drink while Glinda had lunch of her own. The emergency bags had a weeks worth of non-perishable food. It tasted horrible of course, but it was something.

"Well back in the day, I could follow a road and get somewhere. This wandering-through-the-trees plan is ridiculous."

"Oh? What do you suggest then?" Glinda asked, spreading her arms wide.

"You could use your bubble to at least see where we are."

"I'm _sick_ of telling you that _won't work_," Glinda hissed.

"You used it to get out of the carriage," The Tinman pointed out.

"That was going up and down five feet. It's an entirely different matter to maneuver through and out of trees that are sixty feet tall."

Boq sighed and then turned back to the map, looking again for any clue as to where they were.

"Stop looking at the Oz-forsaken map!"

"It's better than nothing."

"No! It's not, it's really not, which is the problem!"

"I don't see you coming up with any brilliant ideas to save us _Your Goodness._"

"Maybe it's the company."

"Somehow I doubt it. You've never been a real genius so to speak."

"Says the man who got himself turned into Tin," Glinda said viciously.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Boq roared, finally losing his temper. "You know, really it was your fault in the first place."

"My fault?" She yelled back in disbelief.

"Yes! It was your fault, you selfish little witch!"

Glinda gasped and stepped back from the Tinman, completely oblivious as to how he could possibly pin his predicament on her. She was Glinda the Good for Oz's sake. And she'd certainly been everything _but_ selfish since Elphaba's death.

"You're the one who got me involved with those _sisters_," he spat. "All because you could bear the thought of one dance with a shy munchkin boy when there was a prince to be hadMiss _Guh_-linda!"

Glinda's confusion slid into horror as she put the pieces together at last.

"_Boq_?" She whispered the name with revulsion. The disgust she'd harbored for him since he'd helped to orchestrate the Witch-hunt deepened to something more hateful.

"Where's your handsome prince now Miss Galinda? Where's the munchkin boy?" He asked condescendingly, thinking she was finally seeing his point. "I see now I shouldn't wasted my time with you. You obviously haven't grown up since college, you still manipulate and bend the truth and _use_ people. Only now you do it with a wand and a smile. What possessed me to work as hard as I could to keep you safe and win your love is beyond me. Elphaba had nothing on you, but then again she was probably a victim of the lies you spread! I don't know why I never saw it!"

"How dare you?" She shrieked, surprising him with the force of her voice.

It was Boq's turn to back down, while a few feet away the horses had perked their heads up at Glinda's yelling, ignoring their meal to see what the fuss was about.

"How dare you do what you did to her and then speak about her that way?" Glinda demanded, launching a tirade she'd been longing to have since the Tinman had joined the ranks of her guard. "She never did anything to you! In fact, in the time you knew her she was nothing if not kind to you. For some reason you made her sister happy and Elphaba had nothing but respect and gratitude towards you because of that."

"She turned me to Tin!" Boq retorted angrily. "Her sister tried to steal my heart! I think that constitutes 'doing something to me' don't you?"

"What in Oz are you talking about?" Glinda cried, again genuinely confused, but still livid with the man who seemed to be one more person to betray her.

"At Colwen Grounds," Boq explained impatiently, as if he were telling the story to a particularly slow child. "The day of your 'engagement' ball. I was leaving to…I was leaving. Nessa had her sister's wretched spell book and she tried to magick me into falling in love with her. It didn't work instead it shrank my heart. So Elphaba turned me to Tin. If her sister couldn't have me then no one would!"

"Would you listen to yourself?" Glinda snarled disgustedly. "That was Nessa's fault not Elphaba's! There's no way to reverse a spell, what Nessa did would have _killed_ you. She saved your life! And in return you helped to take away hers."

Boq looked shocked at her furious revelation.

"She took my heart…" he tried protest. "The only thing I had left was my ability to love and she took it away."

The icy anger Glinda had been directing at him since the fiasco that was the trip to Ev began turned white hot and contempt flashed in her eyes as tears of rage pooled in them.

"You don't need a heart to love. You need a soul, and as corrupted as it is you have one of those, because the Wicked Witch of the West did what she could to save it!"

"Oh, and you know so much about hearts and love!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

"You know what they call you behind your back Miss Galinda?" He asked contemptuously. "The 'Ice Princess', the 'Frigid Witch of the North'. Everyone loves you. But those closest to you say you don't know how to love. Who would have thought you of all people would turn into a distant workaholic?"

Something that strongly resembled hurt flitted across Glinda's expression but as quickly as it came she smothered it with anger.

"Well I'm sorry that running an entire country keeps me a little busy."

"It's more than that," Boq said a little sadly. "You're afraid of what would happen if you let yourself love a person instead of a group. We're quite a pair you and I. The Tinman without a heart and the Witch who froze hers."

"We are not a pair," she spat, refusing to let him get to her even though he'd hit the nail on the head. "_We_ are nothing. You are despicable! I don't think we have anything more to say to one another. Goodbye Boq."

She marched over to her horse and swung up.

"I hope you fall in a creek," she said over her shoulder.

She galloped away, leaving Boq gaping in her wake.

"Glinda wait!" He yelled after her.

But she had already disappeared through the foliage.

She would probably dishonorably discharge him the instant they were back in Oz. But at the moment it was unwise for them to separate, despite being at the top of each other's hit lists. And whether she wanted anything to do with him or not.

Boq swore loudly and stormed over to his horse. She was after all Glinda the Good. And whether or not she hated him was beside the point. He had a duty, and besides that he couldn't live with himself if anything happened to her.

It took a while to find a rock large enough to aid him in climbing onto his horse. He cursed his inflexible frame the entire time but was eventually able to race after the 'Good' Witch.

* * *

Hours later Glinda finally pulled her horse to a stop at the edge of a cropping of huge rocks. Night had already fallen and she'd been riding in the dark for quite some time, fueled by her rage and the desire to run as far and fast as she could from…everything.

The Boq she'd known had never been particularly insightful but he'd managed to pinpoint her own traitorous feelings and use them against her. All at once the things she'd been forcing herself to ignore she was suddenly faced with.

It all went back to Elphaba. And the day in the Emerald City that had changed the course of history. She'd spent two years trying to erase the wreckage a single choice had caused. She could give Animals and Munchkins their rights; she could restore order to a broken government, peace to an anger-ridden people, beauty to a ruined country. But she could never change the fact that it might not have happened if she'd chosen differently that day. She could never erase the deaths; never erase the scar it left on her soul.

She could put the blame on others' shoulders; to that end Morrible was taken care of and the Wizard was banished. She could hate people. She'd done that too. But at the end of the day it wasn't the Tinman or Morrible or the Wizard or the gullible mob Glinda the Good blamed and hated for the death of her best friend.

It was herself.

And though Boq couldn't possibly know that he'd dredged all of that up for her, she hated him for that too.

She was crying now. Two years of anger and pain, that she'd bottled up to hide behind a bubbly façade and squash with obsession for her duty to her people, streamed down her cheeks. On top of it she was even more lost than before. She hadn't paid any attention to direction since she'd left Boq far behind. The craggy rocks that circled about her were far taller than she was, even when seated on her gigantic horse. They blocked out all the light, she couldn't even see the stars through the trees anymore.

Fear set in, taking priority over her tempestuous emotions –not shoving them aside once more, merely becoming more prominent. The dark settled around her and she could hear her horse nicker nervously, the sound like every other magnified by fear. She was acutely aware that she was probably the most vulnerable thing in the woods at that moment. It wasn't a comforting awareness.

_If only there were light._

As if in answer to her wish a flash of light split the sky and lit the rocks and trees with blinding brightness. A loud burst of thunder followed soon after.

It was all Glinda could do to hold back the whimper that nearly escaped her throat. Another flash and a crack of thunder spooked her horse and it shied suddenly away from the cliffs around it. Glinda clung desperately to its thick mane as rain began to fall in heavy drops around them.

Glinda screamed and the huge horse bucked again, nearly throwing her mercilessly into the rocks.

"Whoa! Whoa! _WHOA!_" She cried, but her voice was to shrill to have the desired affect on the horse.

Another flash of light crackled around them, this time illuminating a flash of another kind higher on top of the rocks. But it was too brief for Glinda to tell if it was her imagination or not. She managed to get her horse to stop bucking, but he still pranced about as she tried to hold on and see through the dark and the rain at the same time.

A low hiss startled both woman and horse around, so they once again faced the ominous rocks that loomed over them. Lightning lit the area again and this time Glinda caught sight of their company. Perched over her head on a ledge of rock was the biggest cat she'd ever seen. And it was rather irked at their presence.

The cat snarled again as the time between lightning flashes grew shorter. It rocked back on its haunches and roared before springing to a lower ledge. Startled by the force of the noise, Glinda lost her grip on her horse and tumbled backwards as it reared again. She hit the wet ground roughly and looked up to see her mount running for dear life in the opposite direction.

Another growl snapped her attention back to the feline predator poised above her.

Knowing that running would be futile, Glinda scooted away from the rocks, hoping she could slip beneath the roots of a tree, or into a hollow log, or under a rock ledge before the big cat caught her. All the while she tried to bring to mind a spell, any spell at all, that would help. But in her panic her mind went blank.

The thunder bellowed and the cat pounced. Leaping from its perch to the ground in one graceful and impossibly fast motion. Glinda's eyes widened and she brought her muddied hands over her head in one last frantic attempt to protect herself as the cat sprang toward her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and hoped that whatever happened would be quick and as painless as possible. She fully expected to feel claws scraping at her innards and a crushing, toothy mouth descend on her. She didn't expect the gleam of metal that came and the sick thud of a blade meeting flesh.

The cat screeched in pain and dodged away from Boq's axe. Vexed now, and determined to have its prey, the cat leapt at Glinda again. Another flash of metal came, followed by another ripping thud, followed by another outraged, pain-ridden squeal.

The cat paced off; limping badly to one side from the wounds it had received. Boq let it go, knowing that it wouldn't be back, even if it did survive the lacerations he'd given it.

He lowered the axe and squinted down to Glinda who was curled up on the ground, crying from fright, and breathing heavily.

The rain beat down on them both, ushering Glinda to get control of herself and do _something_. She pushed herself wearily up.

"C'mon we need to get out of here," she called to Boq through the downpour.

When he didn't move and continued to stare at the spot where she'd lain she grew more impatient.

"Boq! We need to move!"

Rain continued to pelt the motionless Tinman and Glinda realized what had happened.

He'd rusted over.

"_I hope you fall in a creek."_

The angry words echoed through her mind.

He'd risked water to save her after that? The rain was worse than a creek.

She reached a hand out to brush the rain uselessly from his face. Hoping he could tell her what to do. Not even his gaze shifted, even his eyes were immobilized by rust.

The blur of the trees around her shifted her thoughts from the deteriorating Tin statue before her.

The forest was shifting again.

Glinda looked around for their horses with wild eyes. Hers was long gone, but Boq's was caught in bush. She raced over to it, untangling the reins and leading it back in a reckless race against time.

The blur of the trees worsened, and the ground rumbled beneath her feet as she hauled the horse to where Boq stood. With one hand she held tight to the reins, she linked her other arm through Boq's, knowing if they stood together, they'd end up in the same part of the forest at least.

The blur worsened and with a great shake, the forest moved.

* * *

**Thanks to all who have reviewed, they are truly wonderful and inspiring. Please keep them coming!**


	6. And Get Rather Chilly

**Tale as Old as Time**

**And Get Rather Chilly**

* * *

Dragon hatcheries were hot and humid places. But they were not at all the dismal, dank, cavernous, hideaways that Ozian theory books depicted. For that, at least, Elphaba Tiggular was very grateful.

She stood in the doorway of just such a hatchery, smiling fondly as she watched her husband fuss over a particular egg, much like an expectant father would skitter around a hospital waiting room.

"Soon?" Was all she had to ask as she crossed to the nest where Fiyero was hovering.

"Anytime," Fiyero grinned. He glanced at her to make sure her attention was on the large, violet egg before placing his hand on it. The egg glowed a brilliant shade of amethyst where his flesh touched it.

Elphaba laid her hand on her husband's, staring transfixed as the amethyst glow adopted an amber tint as the egg responded to her own magic.

"Dron and Amyra would be very proud," Elphaba commented quietly.

A solemn expression settled over Fiyero's features. Dron and Amyra were the hatchling's late parents. Dron had saved Fiyero's life and through a complicated Dragon tradition became his blood brother. His death, and the death of his lifemate had hit Fiyero hard, and he'd taken it upon himself to see that their hatchling would grow to be a great Dragon.

"I hope so," he said. "I just-

He didn't get to finish. The doors of the hatchery burst open to admit an adult Dragon by the name of Marix and effectively cut him off.

"Master Fiyero, Mistress Elphaba," She greeted them formally. "Voreil needs you in the courtyard."

Neither human bothered with question or protest; when Voreil called, one simply went. They followed Marix out of the hatchery to the vast, open corridors of Voreil's castle until she stopped at a balcony offshoot of the hallway.

"She needs you quickly," she explained, crouching down.

Without hesitation Fiyero climbed aboard the Dragon's back, and offered Elphaba a hand up. Elphaba, who still preferred her broom to Dragonflight, was a little more awkward as she settled behind Fiyero.

"Hold on," was Marix's only warning before she dove off the balcony.

Elphaba clung tightly to Fiyero as they swooped over the roof of the palace and down to the center courtyard. The second she felt Marix duck to allow them off she leapt to the stone ground, doing her best to mask the unkempt feeling Dragonflight always gave her.

Fiyero thanked Marix politely before hopping down to follow his wife to the side of a towering, turquoise Dragon.

"Oris went to the stables this morning and discovered a guest," the Dragon, Voreil, said.

The cryptic sentence was the only prologue she gave before Oris, her stable manager, joined them with a large horse following nervously behind him.

Elphaba and Fiyero both started as they recognized the emblems that decorated the horse's trappings The large crest that rested over the horse's forehead and each of the joints in the tack was emblazoned with the emerald and gold signet of Oz.

"Where did he come from?" Fiyero asked.

"Not sure, but there's more," Oris said. He looked to Voreil for approval before pulling a book from the disheveled saddlebags.

Elphaba gasped as she recognized the Grimmerie, taking it swiftly but gently from Oris's hands.

"_Glinda."

* * *

_

When she felt the ground beneath her feet stop rumbling Glinda cautiously lifted her head to glance around at her new surroundings. Though the area was more open, allowing for a little more light, the rain still poured down in droves and blocked her vision. She wiped at her eyes; it helped a little.

The rock wall remained, but it had vulcanized itself with another. Water gushed down the middle and pooled at the bottom, before running on through the forest.

"Lovely," Glinda muttered.

Boq's horse gave her a firm nudge, as if trying to point out that they were soaking wet and she hadn't done anything about it yet.

"I'm thinking!" She insisted, as if the horse could understand.

He jerked his long face towards the rocks and nearly tugged the reins out of her hands. She looked in the same direction apprehensively, hoping the cougar or whatever it was hadn't returned. The rocks were still.

"_Ilo_," She muttered a basic spell and held her palm out. A pinprick of light hovered above it and she concentrated until it grew big enough to light the woods around her. The light helped a little, but mostly it succeeded in revealing just how much water surrounded her. The waterfall was bigger than she'd initially expected; so was the pool and the brook that disappeared through the trees. And the rain was only making things worse.

She stumbled as the horse nudged her again towards the rocks.

"Quit would you," Glinda demanded, angry that her light had gone out.

The horse only snorted and nudged her again, before stepping towards the rocks. She halted him with a tug on his reins, and stared again at the rocks. She supposed they'd provide a little shelter from the rain; better than standing out in the open anyway.

She took a step before remembering Boq, who remained motionless in the downpour. The rusting was getting worse the longer he stayed under the onslaught of water, if she left him in the rain there would be no hope of moving him when it stopped.

Wiping a determined hand across her face she tugged the horse around so that Boq stood directly in front of its back.

"Spread out," Glinda ordered the horse, tapping his hooves with the toe of her boot until he spread his feet and lowered his back. "Okay now, stay right there."

She let the rein go, confident the horse wouldn't run off and went to stand behind Boq.

"_Consurgo_," Glinda said forcefully, waving her wand hand at the Tin statue before her.

Nothing happened.

'This is not happening,' she thought; shoulders slumped and eyes closed.

"_Consurgo!" _

Still nothing.

She gave up on magic and shoved at Boq's back the conventional way. The wet metal was icy cold against her already freezing hands and her efforts only succeeded in tipping him to land heavily against the horse. To his credit the giant stallion spooked but didn't buck or shy away.

The frequent flashes of lightning and thunder returned, as the tiny witch struggled to push much-larger Tinman onto the horse's back.

"_Consurgo!_" She shouted the spell and gave a great heave and managed to get Boq's arms and torso across the horse's back.

She was breathing heavily now, shivering uncontrollably, and thoroughly exhausted. With determination born, she later supposed, of survival instinct, she grabbed the reins and led the horse through the dark rain towards the rocks.

The horse seemed happy to be finally moving. He nearly passed Glinda up in his haste to get to the rocks, and didn't stop when she did at the base of the cliffs.

"H-hey!" She called, her voice horse from screaming and the cold, when the leather straps slipped from her hands and the horse kept heading towards the waterfall with Boq dangling over its back. "Stop! Woah!"

The horse continued to pick it's way over the rocky ground. Glinda scrambled after it.

It was darker near the cliffs. She forgot the light spell in her haste to stop the horse before it could dump Boq in the pool and spoil her efforts to return his favor. She reached blindly for the reins and ended up grabbing a handful of mane instead. She held on tightly with both hands while the horse walked directly through the water and into the falls, dragging Boq and Glinda with him.

She waited to feel the crush of more water, too tired and cold to do anything else. Waited for it to wash all three of them away. But it never happened. Instead they passed behind the falls and out of the rain. The horse gave a great shake, dropping Boq, Glinda and drops ofwater to the ground.

Glinda landed almost gently on her back and stared up at the horse. The horse stared back. She knew it wasn't possible but she would have sworn he was actually smug. Her gaze left the horse's eyes to search around. On her left the backside of the waterfall curtained the opening of the cave the horse had dumped them in. It was dark so she couldn't tell how big it was. It was big enough and more importantly it was dry.

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to get up. She tugged the horse away from Boq's still form, it was easier to move him than the helpless Tinman and she wanted to be circle the three of them around a fire.

The horse settled itself on the ground where she left him, tucking it's legs close to it's body to keep warm. Glinda let Boq be, and focused on magic again. They had no firewood, and she knew going to look for any would be futile as it would all be soaked. The only other choice was a magical fire, which was considerably harder than creating a ball of light or even levitating a Tinman. And without her wand or the Grimmerie it she'd have to use the simply worded but indefinitely more complicated spells she'd learned under Morrible's tutelage.

"_Agon!"_

Nothing

'Oz Glinda, could you do something right for once!'

"_Agon!" _

To her great relief when she repeated the spell a large spark burst in the air before her.

More confident now she tried again.

"_Agon!"_

This time a merry little flame planted itself on the rock ground of the cave.

"_Impendo!"_

The flame grew to a nice sized bonfire. Pleased with herself Glinda crossed to the horse and pulled Boq's pack off. She rifled through it until she found the oilcan she had hoped would be there.

Crossing back to Boq she sat down gingerly at his side. She started with his eyes, forcing her icy hands to work the release mechanism on the can. The oil worked it's magic and at last his eyes moved. They went gratefully to meet Glinda's. For a minute she considered leaving his mouth till last but decided against it.

"Thank you," he breathed when his lips weren't rusted shut anymore.

Glinda merely shrugged in reply, afraid if she opened her mouth to speak the only sound that would come out would be her teeth chattering.

Boq seemed to take her silence and stiffness as a sigh that she was still mad at him and stayed silent. At lease she'd forgiven him enough to drag him out of the rain and de-rustify him.

He slowly tested each joint as Glinda made them usable; starting with his neck, then arms, then knees, ankles, and toes.

"Here," she said so quietly he almost didn't hear her. She handed him the oil can, indicating he should do his waist himself.

If he could have blushed he would have –profusely- as he reached bashfully for the oilcan.

Glinda turned to the fire while Boq finished tending to his legs.

It felt so good to move again!

He stood awkwardly and moved to the pack to replace the oilcan, patting the horse as he went. The great beast had already dried, thanks to his oily coat designed to keep water off.

Boq turned back to Glinda and was surprised at her appearance.

"_Lady Glinda_!"

Now that she'd moved closer to the fire he could see her properly. Her skin was pasty white except for around her eyes and mouth where it had turned a purplish-blue. Her teeth chattered loudly as she stared blankly into the fire. Her once curly hair was tangled and matted; water dripped from the ends to collect on her already soaked clothes.

She made no acknowledgement to his exclamation.

"Glinda!" He yelled, snatching her drowsy attention from the entrancing flame.

"What?"

"You're freezing," Boq stated.

"I know tha's why 'm sittin' by the fire," she slurred absently between shivers.

Boq knew he had to get her warm and dry or the hypothermia would kill her, but doing so was not going to be easy.

"You need to dry off," he told her gently.

"Can't. Horse ran off with my closhe," she stated in the same simple, mindless tone. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging in the warmth.

"You still need to get out of those wet clothes and dry them out," he said firmly, fumbling in the pack for the only bedroll. "You're gonna catch your death."

"I don' haf anything to chansh into," she protested, the determined spark at last returned to her eyes.

"I know," Boq, said patiently, pulling the bedroll apart to extract the thickest blanket. "You can wrap up in this while your clothes dry."

"Absholutely not!"

Boq sighed and tried coaxing her some more.

"C'mon, you'll be much more comfortable once you're dry. I promise I won't look until you're completely wrapped up," he said in a tone he'd used when babysitting his younger siblings a lifetime ago. "Here, take the blanket and I'll turn around."

"No!" Glinda insisted defiantly.

Boq mentally went over the stages of hypothermia. She was already shivering violently and breathing shallowly, she'd certainly adopted a bluish pallor; if her behavior was anything to go by then she losing rationality as well. If he didn't get her warmed up soon she'd stop breathing and her heart would shut down. Her size was working against her; it sped up the process.

"Please," he begged. "I'll even go out to the mouth of the cave."

Glinda stared at him and did her best to look adamant, but she couldn't keep the cold from her expression and her shaking hindered the effect. Boq was losing his patience anyway. Her life was slipping away a little more each second and she was worried about propriety. If coddling and begging wouldn't work he'd have to be a little more forceful.

"Glinda," he said sternly, forgoing her title. "You are going to _die_ if you don't get those clothes off. Now either do it yourself or I'll do it for you."

He was a little surprised she had the presence of mind to look horrified at his suggestion. It should have been a small victory; he'd finally managed to intimidate her. But the look on her face made him hope he'd never have to do so again.

"What'll it be," he asked, forcing himself to sound like he'd go through with his threat.

Glinda glared at him, but her shivers and exhaustion made her disinclined to argue further.

"Turn around then."

Boq handed her the blanket, turned around, stared resolutely at the horse and demanded his mind to focus on remembering the first aid courses he'd gone through in training.

Glinda set the blanket to the side, and reluctantly peeled off her thick –but soaked and frozen- shirt and trousers. The process was slow; her fingers couldn't seem to work the buttons properly, and when she finally had them undone enough to wriggle out the wet material clung to her numb skin. Eventually socks joined the other clothes in a pile in front of the fire and she reached for the blanket.

"Underthings too," Boq managed to add without choking on his own words.

"N—

"It's not an option, if you're not as dry and warm as possible soon we're going to have a very serious problem," he told her. And then amended, "I'm sorry."

Her camisole and other unmentionables joined the growing pile of garments.

Boq was quite certain she was mumbling something rather unladylike but he couldn't tell for sure because of the clattering of her teeth.

"You can turn around," she allowed when she'd wrapped blanket he'd given her around herself so well she wasn't sure she'd ever manage to get out.

Boq picked up another blanket from the roll and stretched it out in front of the fire right at the side of his horse.

"Now come lay over here, it will be warmer than sitting on the rock."

Glinda found she didn't have any more willpower to bother with protesting and just did as he said. It _was_ warmer curled up next to the horse anyway. When she was settled Boq took the final blanket and tucked it carefully around her head and shoulders.

"Feel better?" He asked.

She nodded from within her cocoon of blankets.

"Try to stay awake for just a little while longer."

That was harder than it sounded.

All of Glinda's energy was focused on getting warmer. She barely had the strength to keep her eyes open. She let them close for the briefest moment and at once Boq was at her side shaking her shoulder gently.

"Lady Glinda," he called her name quietly but urgently.

She pried droopy eyelids open and looked around in a daze. Her clothes were draped over a line rigged between rocks before the fire; her boots were set near them. Boq was beside her, holding a tin cup full of something steamy. She must have closed her eyes longer than she thought.

"Drink this and then you can sleep," he promised, helping her sit up a bit and then propping the cup against her dry lips.

She took a sip and made a face.

"What is it?"

"Just warm water," Boq said apologetically. "I put some of the berries from breakfast in when I heated it. I don't know if that sweetened it up much. But it'll help keep you warm."

She drank slowly, ignoring the taste. Finally the cold that seemed to pierce her very soul ebbed away little, by little, by little.

When at last the water was gone Boq set the cup aside and let Glinda lay back into the blankets. He rearranged the one around her head to serve a little better as a pillow. Then he sat down next to her head and leaned against the horse's broad back. Glinda snuggled charmingly between the horse and his thigh, searching for a tiny bit more warmth and comfort.

Boq indulged in a smile and draped an arm across the horse's back as he watched the fire and listened carefully for Glinda's breathing above the din of the waterfall.

"Thank you," Glinda whispered suddenly. Boq looked down at her with questioning eyes. "Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," he replied softly.

Within seconds Glinda fell asleep and Boq was left to be her protector. A duty he once again felt honored to have.


	7. But Are Rescued

**Tale as Old as Time**

**Are Rescued**

* * *

"Kay, Ellie, the skeery part's over," Danilo told his older sister who had burrowed beneath her blankets to hide when Glinda began telling them about the "princess's" adventure with the mountain cat. 

"Are you sure?" Came a muffled question from beneath the duvet.

Danilo looked up at his mother for clarification.

"Yup, no more scary parts for a while," Glinda assured them. "Get up here."

She shifted from the rocking chair to Danilo's bed. Elianora squirmed out of the covers and leapt across the gap between the two beds to snuggle with her mother and brother.

"Are you sure you want to hear the rest of this tonight?"

The duet of "Yes's" left no room for argument so Glinda wrapped an arm around each of her children and plunged back into the story.

* * *

When Glinda woke up the following morning she felt slightly hung over. Though she knew she definitely hadn't been drinking the night before. 

As consciousness slowly took more hold on her, her senses were assaulted. Her bed was warm and it was tempting to just turn over and return to sleep. The pounding of water nearby aggravated her headache, making that temptation all the more strong. Her stomach protested the idea however, and the tantalizing aroma of food being cooked close by helped the option of waking for the day win the battle. She pried her eyes open, blinking away the fog clouding her vision.

Her magical fire was still crackling merrily in front of her. Boq was hunched over it, fidlling something in a food tin. The horse was munching at a pile of grass and branches. Boq looked up from his cooking and grinned when he saw she was awake.

"Good morning."

"Is it?" Glinda asked. Her hand went to her forehead as if she could rub her headache.

Boq frowned. He'd hoped they could have called a cease-fire to their bickering in lieu of recent events, but Glinda's tone indicated otherwise.

To his surprise Glinda seemed to realize she was being snitty again and expression and tone softened while she tried to make amends.

"Sorry," she apologized. "You might have noticed, I'm not much of a morning person."

"That's all right," he replied, his smile returning. "Headache?"

She nodded.

"There are some painkillers in the med-aid kit but you have to eat something with them or they'll make you sick," he told her as he pulled the cooking tin away from the embers. "The rain stopped earlier this morning, enough for me to go fishing. I used a bit from the food pack to make a decent soup out of it I think. Careful though it's hot."

He poured some of the stuff into the lid of the tin and handed it to her.

"Um," she began self-consciously when she tried to sit up and the blanket fell away just a little from her bare skin. "I need my clothes first."

"Oh!" Boq exclaimed embarrassed. He'd pulled the garments off the line when they were dry and piled them neatly on a rock near enough to the fire that they'd stay warm but not catch any stray sparks.

"Here," he said, setting the tiny bundle on her blankets. "I just -I'll just...go...check on the horse…"

He scuttled to the mouth of the cave and resolutely watched the horse chew on his collected meal. Glinda kept one eye suspiciously on him as she threw her clothes on faster than she ever had in her life. Not that she thought Boq would peek. But still, his presence made her just a little uncomfortable.

"Okay," she said awkwardly when she finished.

Boq turned back towards her and tried to be casual as he joined her once more in front of the fire. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Glinda daintily took a few bites of her soup. Truth be told she was getting tired of fish, but she wasn't about to mention it when it was the only thing available.

"Is it still raining then?" She asked, attempting to slough of the smothering silence between them.

"Yeah," Boq replied. "It started again as I was bringing in food for the horse."

Glinda looked at his shoulders and noticed more rust built up there than she remembered from the night before.

"You'll have to be careful, you'll run out of oil," she admonished.

Boq managed to look sheepish despite his tin features.

"Why do you rust so quickly?" She heard herself ask before she could think to stop. "I mean usually it takes time for things to corrode over so much, and you seem to just freeze together at the slightest bit of water."

"I think it's because I'm not made of ordinary tin. I'm enchanted Tin. I suppose water is to me, what fire is to someone with normal skin."

Glinda bit back a comment on who that should have reminded him of, hoping averting her eyes and picking at her soup wouldn't give her away. She didn't want to fight anymore, and Elphaba -or the Witch as Boq preferred- would obviously remain a subject of contention.

"What time is it?" She asked finally, searching for something –anything- to say to break the sudden stifling silence.

"Nearly the thirteenth hour now I imagine."

"What! You let me sleep until one?"

"You needed it," Boq shrugged. "And with the rain we wouldn't have gotten far anyway, I thought it would be better to let you sleep."

Glinda couldn't really argue with that logic, much as she may have wanted to. So she returned to eating with a newfound interest in the food. The silence returned but it wasn't quite as awkward, so when the rocks began to creak it startled everyone in the cave.

The horse began to snort and prance as the floor began to blur and shift.

"The forest is moving again!" Glinda shouted, dropping her tin and scrambling away from the twisting tendrils of flame from the magic fire. She only succeeded in getting herself tangled in the pile of blankets that had been her bed and was very glad when she felt Tin hands pull her from danger and carry her to the mouth of the cave. Boq set her down next to the horse and sandwiched her between them, effectively shielding her from the rocks that were now falling from the roof of the cave. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that gleaming Tin and falling rock wouldn't be the last thing she saw.

When it finally stopped the horse, the Tinman, and the Good Witch were all standing in the middle of a rocky clearing between trees. There was a pool of water nearby that was all that was left of the falls that had sheltered them the night before. It was no longer raining, though there were dreary clouds moving in.

"Well," Glinda said. "I suppose that means we should set off."

Boq, who was still marveling over the fact that they'd made it through the shift alive at could only nod in agreement. He helped her gather the things strewn about the rocks and replace them in the pack, and then took it to tie to the horse.

"Oh no!" Glinda cried in horror, the presence of only one horse reminding her of the worst part of the disaster of the night before. Her own horse had run off, taking the Grimmerie into the unfathomable forest with it.

"What's wrong?" Boq asked, baffled at her horrified expression.

"The book, it's gone!"

"What book?"

"The spell book," her voice had dropped to a devastated whisper. "The Grimmerie."

"I don't understand it's just a book. You must have hundreds of spell books."

"Yes," Glinda admitted her eyes downcast as she tried to fight the rise of emotion and the tears that came with. "But that one was special. Grimmerie's are so rare, I've searched for ages and there simply isn't another book like it. It's a treasure, one that I was entrusted with," she said carefully, unsure if she should reveal just who had entrusted it to her. "And I've failed."

Though her words were diplomatic, and would have been sufficient for those with only a passing interest Boq wasn't fooled, and he wouldn't settle for any more cryptic explanations.

"Who gave it to you?" He asked not unkindly, but his suspicion colored his words.

She looked up now; her expression set in its regrettably familiar mask of aloofness, refusing to reveal her true feelings. Her eyes betrayed her though; Boq could see the utter heartbreak she was trying so hard to hide clearly in their crystalline depths.

"Elphaba," She said simply.

Boq flinched, but the anger that normally rose up in him at the thought of the green witch dissipated before it even took form, he was too engrossed by the rare glimpse of Glinda. He'd known for sometime now that she hid behind facades; he hadn't realized that he'd been as duped as everyone else by them. He'd been easily placated by the surface emotions she displayed and hadn't noticed that she meticulously chose which one to put at the frontlines to shield the rest of herself from sight.

"What are you staring at?" She demanded, anger sparking to her eyes and Boq was disappointed to see she'd managed to cover the reflection of her innermost thoughts and feelings with it.

_You,_ he thought.

"Nothing, it's gone now," he said.

Glinda's eyes narrowed suspiciously, layering more anger to hide their expressiveness behind.

"Let's get moving," she said firmly.

Boq offered her a boost to the horse's back but she declined, opting to vault up herself instead before dispassionately guiding the huge animal to a rock so he could climb up behind. Boq was happy with that arrangement; he wasn't all that fond of the horse to begin with, so being a passenger was some one of a relief. In addition to that fact it was a perfectly acceptable excuse to put his hands on her waist to stay balanced. No he did not have a problem with that arrangement at all.

**

* * *

**

Rumors of the lost travelers from Oz spread like wildfire through the kingdom. For the most part they remained reasonably close to the truth –As far as anyone could tell anyway, thanks mostly to the fact that the original information had come from the Dragon's who, by nature, made themselves so clear that one wouldn't soon get their stories mixed up. Whatever the reason Elphaba was grateful, it made organizing a search party infinitely simpler.

"There's a storm moving in," A Wolf by the name of Gerad reported to Elphaba, as several teams set off into the Enchanted Forest and a few more started down the road out of the square. "It's going to slow us down."

"It will slow them down as well," Elphaba reminded him, tucking several charts into her cloak where they would be safe from the threatening sky. "And they'll be easier to find if they stay in one spot."

"You're sure they're lost? Not just trying to send a message across the border to see if it works?" Gerad asked.

"Glinda wouldn't let the Grimmerie out of her sight if something hadn't gone wrong," Elphaba said definitively. "Though as to what happened, your guess is as good as mine. But remember; if you do find them don't let them know I'm the one who sent you out. I don't want undo problems to be caused."

"Yes mother," the young Wolf drawled.

"They're more than likely in the forest," Fiyero interrupted, reining his horse to stop next to Elphaba. "We can only guess where they are but I hope you sent teams to Looking Glass Lake and Marble Edge."

"I though you couldn't come!" Elphaba said, her delight breaking through the anxiety she'd been hiding since the day before. "And yes I did."

"Today's not looking like the day after all," Fiyero explained. "And Voreil said she'd let me know if the egg so much as twitches."

"What about the falls?" Gerad cut in, he obviously wanted to get going.

"Which ones?"

"Mazzerie and Mourning?"

"Yes to the first, I though Mourning Falls was a bit of a long shot."

The Wolf shook his head, "Not if the hose ran off before the late shift last night. I'll head over just in case."

"You won't make it back before the thirteenth shift," Elphaba pointed out.

"I'll swing back through Hildenborgen; the twenty-second quarter will put me right at the pass."

"Alright," Elphaba conceded. "Be back by high night or I'll send a party after you."

"No worries Milady," Gerad's tongue lolled in what Wolves approximated as a grin before he loped off into the forest, leaving Elphaba and Fiyero alone at the edge.

"You know flying's not really necessary," Fiyero suggested in a too-casual tone.

"Yes it is," Elphaba returned. "The faster we get Glinda and whoever's with her to the city the safer we'll all be."

"You won't be able to see much through the trees."

"I'd rather regret trying than regret not trying," Elphaba said firmly.

"Just be careful," Fiyero finally stopped trying to hide his concern.

"I will," She promised, mounting her broom and rising to be eye level with him.

"Where do you need me?" He asked.

Elphaba sighed, "Head to Marble Edge, I'll meet you there before the thirteen and we'll cover the south pass on the way home."

"Glad to hear you can be reasonable."

You be careful too," Elphaba admonished.

"Hey I'm not the one who's flying into invaded territory _and_ a storm at the same time."

"Yes and yet you have an alarming propensity for running into trouble anyway," Elphaba shot back

"I'm not entirely sure what all those words meant but if you're trying to ell me I'm accident prone you can just say it plain."

"You're accident prone," Elphaba told him. "So be careful."

"I promise," he laughed and kissed her swiftly. "See you in a couple hours."

"See you."

She leaned forward on her broom and pulled it upwards while Fiyero nudged his horse and together they took off.

**

* * *

**

"What way are we going?" Glinda asked after almost three hours of not-quite-comfortable silence.

"You're driving, I thought you knew," Boq quipped.

"Northwest," he added quickly when Glinda shot him a tired scowl. "We got pretty far southeast last night."

Glinda grimaced. That had been her fault, if she hadn't thrown a tantrum and run off they wouldn't have gotten even more lost than they already were.

"Do you think we'll make it back?"

"I don't know anymore," Boq replied honestly. "Right now I'd be happy to find any form of civilization," he paused, thinking. "Sorry, I know that's not exactly what you want to hear."

Of course that wasn't what she wanted to hear. But she supposed she ought to have been used to that. It wasn't as if it were a recent development.

"No," She said softly. "I guess you were right. I can't fix _everything_ with a wand and a smile."

Boq –who had hoped for a compliment at the mention of being right- felt suddenly ashamed of himself.

"I forgot to mention that it sure makes us all feel better," he said, trying for a smile.

"Glad I could help," she replied dryly.

They settled into silence once again, heading more or less the same direction for another hour or two without any undo interruptions. Of course that was too good to last.

"Oh my Oz. Boq look!"

Glinda pointed to a short rise not one hundred yards ahead. Boq looked and saw the object of her horror: a large, ginger-gray wolf that was impatiently picking his way down to the faint "trail" they were following. He seemed to notice they'd spotted him because he paused long enough to throw back his head and howl triumphantly.

The two Ozians looked around fearfully, remembering that wolves hunted in packs and realizing that he was probably calling his friends to dinner. Their great horse began to prance nervously, Glinda gripped the reins tighter in an attempt to keep him steady until she figured out what to do.

"What do we do?' Boq asked, his eyes fixed on the wolf.

"I was gonna ask you," Glinda replied quietly, oddly calm. After facing death in this forest so many times already this singular canine failed to scare her out of her wits.

"We can't outrun it, not in this forest," Boq said. "If we got close enough without losing the horse I'd have a chance to take care of it with my ax."

"What about your revolver?"

"No bullets."

A very unladylike word slipped passed Glinda's lips; Boq's eyes widened in surprise.

"Do we charge or wait?"

"Wait. We'll use our height against him," He directed.

"Best defense is a good offense," she said.

"Would you listen to me for once? It's my job to protect you, I know what I'm doing after all."

"I guess we'll see won't we?" she snarked struggling to keep the horse still.

"Keep him steady, it would be very bad if I fell off halfway through."

"Oh really? I hadn't realized," She snapped.

"Here we go! Hold on!"

The wolf lept down the last of the rocks and dashed at them.

"Turn the horse around now!" Boq roared.

The Good Witch gave their mount a hard kick and hauled on the left rein with all her weight. The horse spun as the wolf reared on its hind legs and Boq swung his axe down.

"Whoa! Hey!" The wolf –or Wolf rather- yelled, darting backwards.

Shocked, Boq dropped his weapon mid-swing, lost his balance and fell from the still moving horse, nearly taking Glinda with him to the forest floor. She managed to stop the nervous horse from her awkward position half-hanging off its back while clinging to the reins and its mane for dear life at the same time.

"_What_ in Oz name was that about!" The livid witch screamed at the Wolf.

"Well I don't know how things work where you come from but here-abouts we don't attack our rescuers with axes!"

"Where I come from 'rescuers' don't _stalk_ their rescuee's!" Glinda cried.

"Hush up!" The Wolf ordered. "This isn't a part of the forest where you want to go tramping around making a lot of noise. If you two would stop bickering for eight seconds you would have heard me tell you that."

"What was the howl about then?" Boq demanded from the spot where he'd landed on his back and not managed to get back up.

"A warning; there are quite a few wild animals in this part of the woods who would love to eat you. I was claiming you as mine just in case. I'm surprised you haven't been caught yet with all the noise you've been making. I've been able to hear for almost a half an hour!"

"Sorry."

"Don't tell me that, I wouldn't have found you so quickly if you hadn't. You would have been sorry to be dinner though I suppose."

"You've been looking for us?" Glinda whispered her question, feeling slightly embarrassed for snapping at their would-be rescuer.

"There's a whole party looking for you actually. I'm the only one out this far though. We're lucky, we can make the half-eighteen and then it's only a few klicks to Hildenborgen."

"A whole party? Are you from Drammenheim? We were supposed to arrive there nearly a week ago."

"Drammenheim? Well yeah, but we didn't know anything about you until yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Boq asked suspiciously. "What happened yesterday?"

"Get on your horse, I'll explain as we go. We need to get moving or we'll miss the shift.

Boq wasn't certain about this Wolf character but even he could tell that the storm they'd faced the past couple of days was returning and it would do no good to get rusted over again. He clunked to his feet and with the help of a fallen log he climbed up behind Glinda once more.

"What happened yesterday then?"

"Your other horse was discovered in the Queen's stables. We found your magic book and the Sorceress gathered people to look for you."

"The Sorceress? How did she know it's my book?"

The Wolf shrugged. "I suppose she knows you."

Glinda's eyes narrowed. "How, who is she?"

"Her secrets aren't mine to tell. You'll meet her soon enough anyway; we'll be to the palace by high night."

Glinda shot Boq a worried look and halted the horse.

"What are you doing? You don't want to miss the shift trust me. We'll be hours away from Hildenborgen then and gnomes have been sighted in these border areas."

"We're not going anywhere with you. We don't know who you are and there are an awful lot of missing pieces to your story," Boq said firmly in an effort to assert himself as the one in charge.

Glinda glared at him.

"Somehow I doubt you were this brave before you were encased in magical metal."

"Magical metal?" Boq asked archly.

"No offense, but you absolutely reek of spell work."

It wasn't possible of course, but Glinda would have sworn that the heartless Tinman's mood darkened at the mention of it.

"You're going to have to take a chance on me. Seeing as wandering around an enchanted forest hasn't really done you much good so far. My name is Gerad and I was sent to find you and see you to safety. I'm not at liberty to say by whom and honestly I don't know why. I can tell you that I'll be taking you to our capital city where you'll meet our Head Sorceress and quite possibly our Queen. I'm also your best bet of getting there alive. Is that enough information for you?"

Glinda ignored Boq, who was gesturing that he wanted to discuss it in private before they decided, considered her options and nodded.

"I suppose we don't really have much of a choice do we? Lead on then Gerad," she said, making an effort not to let Boq catch her eye. Even without looking she knew he was glaring daggers at her back.

Glinda was surprised at how easily Gerad seemed to pick his way through the forest, she couldn't tell one tree from another but he led them easily down a path only he could see. He must have gotten them somewhere for it wasn't long before they came to a halt when they reached a road in a clearing. The only problem was that it didn't go anywhere, after twenty yards in either direction it just stopped.

"What now?"

"We wait. The shift will come any minute now. I don't suppose either of you has a time piece?"

Both Ozians shook their heads.

"I thought not but it doesn't matter."

True to Gerad's word they only had to wait a few minutes before the forest around them began to blur in the tell-tale sign of a shift. Gerad stood as near to their horse as possible and Boq (who had forgiven Glinda for not consulting him by now) wrapped a metal arm around Glinda's waist, telling himself it was to be sure they wouldn't be separated in the shift.

When the forest stopped whizzing by and the trees and shrubs once again became distinguishable from the rest, Gerad darted away from the slightly anxious horse and Boq, not wanting to press his luck, removed his arm before Glinda had even though to say anything about it.

Upon further inspection, what had previously only been a section of road was now a complete path and the little meadow they'd been standing in now open to a much larger break in the trees where a little town was settled.

"I give you: Hildenborgen," Gerad said with more flourish than was really necessary.

"You have no idea how nice it is to see civilization," Boq said, marveling at the sight.

"_I_ do," Glinda countered.

"We'll go into town. There's an inn where we can get some food and you can get cleaned up. The forest will shift again in a few hours, putting the town at the base of Drammenheim and we'll set off again and be back to the castle by high night," Gerad informed them.

"Whatever you say," Glinda said, wishing she knew more about the Queen and Sorceress and wondering why they hadn't been mentioned in the letters she'd received.

Once they got moving again it took only a few minutes before they entered Hildenborgen. The village was quaint, with tidy farms scattered around the main town, which consisted mostly of cottages and small shops with apartments over them. It reminded Boq of the province where he'd grown up.

As they passed down the cobblestone street the setting sun cast a warm glow to light their way. The clouds from the ever approaching storm turned the dying light magnificent shades of purple, blue, pink and orange. Most people were home for the night, light beaconed invitingly from un-shuttered windows. Inside families were sitting down for dinner. Gerad led them past a boutique, a black smith's shop and a famers market, to the town square that was overlooked by an assembly hall and the inn he'd told them about.

"Well here we are."

Boq carefully slid down from the horse and turned to offer a hand to Glinda who surprised him by accepting it. He pulled their only bag off the horse's rump as a middle aged woman scurried out of the entrance followed by a little boy who could only have been her son.

"Bless my soul if it isn't Gerad! Home at last," She cried, rushing towards the Wolf as if he were a lost pet she'd discovered. Gerad seemed quite happy to let her hug him and scratch the fur between his ears.

"Hello Hilda, Reidar," He said when the woman had finished fawning over him. He shifted his amber gaze apologetically to Glinda and Boq and Hilda realized that he had companions.

"And who might this be? Not the lost travelers everyone's been going on about?"

"Two and the same I'm afraid," the Wolf intoned with no regret whatsoever. "I was hoping we could get a good meal and some warm water to wash in before I cart them off to the palace later tonight."

"Sure thing, you've caught us between harvests so we aren't busy a'tall," Hilda informed them happily. "Reidar will take care of your horse, you just follow me."

The young boy, Reidar, gently took the reins and led the hose –which was nearly twice as tall as he- down the alley between the inn and the next building, presumably towards the stables.

Hilda held the door and Gerad trotted in with Boq and Glinda following uncertainly at his heels.

"Now I'll have Raef get on some dinner for ya but I 'spose you'll want to get cleaned up first."

Glinda nodded gratefully.

"Right then. I'm afraid that in all my years I've never met a Tinman but I'd guess you could use some oil and a good buff," she waited for Boq's nod of assent before continuing, "Gerad why don't you take him over to Gelane's and explain what he needs. And tell Gelane to join us for supper when he's through."

"Yes ma'am," Gerad said with a bark.

"And don't you be cheeky with me."

Gerad only looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Oh go on with ya," Hilda said, shooing them towards the door.

Boq followed the Wolf hesitantly, looking back at Glinda helplessly. She shrugged and tried to smile encouragingly. He was loathe to leave her unprotected but he supposed that they may as well accept Hilda's hospitality, they had to trust somebody in this foreign country.

"Don't you worry about your lass," The Inn Matron told him. "I'll take good care of her an' you'll be back in no time least-ways."

She ushered Boq out with a smile and then turned to Glinda.

"Come on m'girl, there's hot water upstairs for a bath."

A bath had never sounded so enticing, Glinda decided as she followed Hilda up the worn wooden steps.

She took in her surroundings as they went and was pleased to note that the upper level of the inn was just as neatly kept as the lower. The entire thing was a bit rustic compared to what she was used to, with it's plastered walls and exposed wooden beams, but Glinda found it comfortable and endearing.

"Now they say you're from Oz?" Hilda began conversationally.

"Yes," Glinda answered, donning her 'diplomat voice' for the occasion.

"So's our Gerad, but I suppose you'll have fonder memories of the place than him."

"Gerad's from Oz?"

"Yes. His mother managed to get across the border with him when he was just a pup. They wandered into town one winter night about two years ago. She left Gerad with us and went back for her imprisoned mate and their other pups. She didn't come back," Hilda said sadly. There was an edge in her voice and at the back of her thoughts Glinda realized that she was trying to determine whether or not she'd supported that kind of thing in Oz.

A haunted look crossed her features as she remembered Elphaba, Dr. Dillamond, and the countless Animals she'd released from Southstairs to try to let them go back to their old lives. She tried to mask it but couldn't as more memories flooded her mind, a Lion who had been caged, a Fox beaten to death for attempting to escape, a Monkey who struggled to speak, a mute Wolf –and a small pack that hadn't survived Southstairs to be released.

"Unfortunately I'm sure many of my memories are fonder," Glinda whispered as she wrestled to put the awful images back in their place. "Things are slowly improving there," she told Hilda unhappily. "But it's still a hard place to live for those who are different."

"Well improvement's more than anyone here would have given them hope for. The border closed after the last Ozma died," Hilda explained as she led Glinda into a room and began to ready a bathtub for her. "The traders stopped coming but escapees began flooding in –all of them Animals. They said a human couldn't have survived to get through the forest, eventually a few did. But there wasn't really a reason for humans to leave. From what they tell me of the Wizard though it's only a matter of time."

"It would have been," Glinda admitted. "But the Wizard is gone now, as are the rest of the people responsible for the atrocities that riddle our recent history. We're working to reverse things."

Hilda looked at her appraisingly and Glinda stared back, willing herself to pass the woman's scrutiny. It must have worked because her expression turned to one of approval.

"Well I'm glad," she said with a smile. "Now what's a pretty thing like you doing wanderin' around the forest of Ev."

"I was coming to open up the trade lanes again actually," Glinda replied, glad for the change of subject. "My caravan was attacked at the border and my bodyguard dragged me into the woods to keep me safe."

"That's your metal companion then?"

"Yes. He's a man really, but was enchanted several years ago."

"I see," Hilda said as she rushed about the room readying a bath for her guest. "That happens often her. The forest has its own magic, many people who come out have to go to the Sorceress to be set right."

"The more I hear about that forest the more grateful I am to have gotten out of it alive," Glinda commented.

"I'd imagine," Hilda chucked. "There we are," she said as the tub finished filling. "Now there's soap and a cloth around this side. Just leave your clothes on the floor; I'll be back in a few minutes with a towel and a change of clothes. My daughter Lyla's about your size, she should have something that will do nicely."

"Oh that's really not necessary," Glinda protested.

"Yes it is, you can't be wearing' these rags to the palace –no offense- it's not the first time this has happened and it certainly won't be the last; Lyla won't mind."

"Thank you then," Glinda said.

"'Pleasure's mine m'girl," Hilda replied with a smile. "Oh! Bless me, I still don't know your name!"

"Glinda," she supplied.

"Well if that ain't as pretty as you are!"

Glinda blushed. There was a time when she would have basked in the flattery but it had been a long time since anyone had genuinely complimented her without wanting something in return.

"Right, I'll leave ya to your bath and just lay the clothes on the bed with a towel for when you're through."

"Thank you again."

Hilda waved her off and skittered out of the room, pulling a privacy shutter closed behind her. Glinda waited until she heard the door shut in the main room before stripping off her dirty clothes and climbing into the tub and sinking down into the steaming water.

It was glorious! She indulged in simply soaking for a bit before finding the soap and cloth and beginning to wash.

Hilda trundled in with her towel and clothes just as she finished rinsing her hair and then hurried back out, humming as she went.

Glinda finished and dried before wandering into the main room to get the borrowed garments. She was very pleased with Hilda's choice; laid out on the bed was a simple yet elegant blue skirt made of a soft, thick material Glinda had never seen before, and a cotton shirt to go with it, as well as her own –astonishingly clean- undergarments. She hadn't even seen Hilda take those! Much less had time to wash them. But she wasn't about to complain.

"Glinda dear," Hilda knocked on the door but didn't enter. "Dinner's ready."

"I'll be right down!"

Hilda left, and Glinda stopped examining the clothes and put them on.

* * *

Boq was amazed at how much easier it was to move once Gelane the black smith had finished with him. He hadn't felt so limber in months –and hadn't looked so polished since his first buff to see the Wizard. 

He sat down at the dinner table with Gerad and gelane though he wouldn't be eating anything.

"So how in Ev did you get turned to Tin?" Gerad asked him.

"It's a long story," Boq sighed. "Basically I managed to get on the wrong side of a witch and had to be enchanted to survive."

Gerad seemed to realize he was uncomfortable with the subject and didn't press for details.

"Is that why you're here?" Gelane asked. "To have the Sorceress turn you back?"

"No," Boq replied. "I'm here to make sure Lady Glinda returns to Oz safe and sound."

"_Lady_ Glinda?"

"Yes. I'm her personal bodyguard," Boq said, unable to keep the pride from his voice.

"Oh. I thought you were married or something," Gerad said with an air of disappointment.

"No," Boq replied, wishing there were a chance of that in spite of himself. "She doesn't like me all that much I'm afraid."

Gerad snorted, "That's a load of pig swallop if I ever heard it."

He eyed Boq, "Though you may just want to bring up having your 'enchantment' fixed with the Sorceress, that might speed things along a bit."

Boq refused to think about the implications of what the Wolf said and instead let the arrival of dinner distract his new friends and allow him to organize his thoughts.

"No I'm afraid you've got it very backwards my friend," he told Gerad. "Just a few days ago she-

He'd lost his audience. Hilda had placed another setting of dishes across from them and Glinda appeared at the top of the stairs.

"I wouldn't be so quick to give up on her if I were you mate," Gelane whispered as he followed Boq's line of vision.

Boq couldn't help the goofy grin that lit his tin features as he watched Glinda descend the stairs. She looked somehow younger than she had when he'd left her with Hilda an hour ago. Maybe it had been the bath but she looked more relaxed, freer –And it wasn't just because her washed hair hadn't been restricted to her trademark tight-curls or because of the absence of her usual overwhelming gowns. She actually smiled at him as she sat down. He couldn't help it, he fell in love with her all over again.

"I know I was a mess but seeing me clean can't be all that astounding Lieutenant."

"You look beautiful." The words slipped through his mouth before he could stop them.

"Thank you," she said, but her eyes narrowed just a little when she did and Boq's hopes returned to their hiding place.

He sent a "ya see?" look to Gerad and Gelane who merely shrugged and went back to their meals.

"How's everything?" Hilda asked, appearing behind Glinda.

"MMM" Gerad mumbled without looking up from his plate of venison.

"Wonderful, thank you," Gelane said, failing to look up as well.

"Hilda I've lived off fish and berries for a week and your bread is a gift from Lurline."

"I thought you might think so," Hilda laughed, and left them to their supper.

Glinda ignored propriety and finished in record time though both Gerad and Gelane were done with their seconds and onto thirds before she had.

"Are you gonna eat seconds or can I have yours?" Gerad asked.

"Be my guest," she said and giggled when Gerad buried his face in his plate with renewed gusto. Boq smiled as he watched, wishing they wouldn't have to return to reality when dinner was done.

Later when the food and dishes had been cleared Glinda and Boq joined Geraad, Gelane and the few other guests by the enormous fireplace at the other end of the common room. Gelane and the other two men took out their pipes and settled on the hearth while Boq and Glinda settled into comfortable chairs and Gerad claimed his cushion on the floor.

"Hilda said you were attacked at the border," Gerad started the conversation after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"That's right, we came through a pass and were attacked before we even reached the edge of the forest," Boq said.

"You didn't come out into the forest?"

"No, we came onto a road in the grasslands."

"There's no pass there."

Boq glanced at Glinda to see how he should explain their arrival.

"I made on," she cut in, figuring they may as well be honest with their rescuer. "I found a spell and sent a letter through the pass it created, I was hoping to re-open the trade between Ev and Oz. So after a few months of correspondence I agreed to a meeting. We received directions and set a date to come through and kept it."

"Who sent the letters?" Gerad asked, his voice shaded with suspicion.

"An ambassador called Sonnensora?"

"Sonnen…No wonder the Sorceress didn't know what you were doing here! Sonnensora isn't an ambassador at all."

Glinda's face fell, "I was worried you were going to say that. Who is he?"

"A wizard."

"A very bad wizard," Gelane added pleased that he knew what they were talking about now.

"And a fairly powerful one, he's capable of more than parlor tricks anyway."

"He and his group of stooges have allied themselves with the Gnome King."

"The Gnome King?"

"The kingdom to the west belongs to the Gnome King," Gelane explained. "They've been trying to invade for years. It's all we've been able to do to keep them out. Now that Sonnensora's joined them it won't be long before they succeed and then it'll be war."

"We don't have the military power to start and offensive strike," Hilda joined them with several pints of beer.

"But we have a few tricks up our own sleeves," Gerad countered.

"We hope," another guest countered.

"Why would Sonnensora want to ambush Glinda though?" Boq asked.

"He probably intercepted your first letter and then wondered how you got it through. If he could create a pass as you say you did he wouldn't have a problem taking over countries with or without the gnomes," Gerad explained. "He probably set up the attack intending to hold you hostage for the spell. You said you were traveling in a caravan? That was your escort?"

"Yes," Glinda said, forcing herself to swallow the lump that rose in her throat. "There were nineteen guards sent with me, counting my driver. As far as we know no one else survived."

"We'll know when we get to Drammenheim if any others were found," Gerad assured her, trying to provide some comfort. "The book we found, that was where you found the spell?"

"Yes."

"Then we're lucky it didn't fall into the wrong hands."

"It's not very readable," Glinda said, trying to reconcile herself with the disaster that had almost occurred. And trying to convince herself that even if her trust in Gerad and the elusive Sorceress was misplaced it was doubtful that they would be able to decipher the Grimmerie.

"All the better then," Gerad replied.

The group fell again to silence, giving Boq and Glinda time to absorb the information they'd received.

"You're Sorceress and Queen," Glinda said. "What do they want with us?"

"Probably the book," Gerad admitted candidly. "They probably hope to find away to keep the gnomes and wizards out of Ev for good."

"Will they let us return to Oz?"

"I can't say."

Glinda bit her lip. She had nothing to bargain for their freedom with but the Grimmerie, and she couldn't possibly just leave that here. And if there were any survivors from the attack she'd have no way to send them home to their families. Even Boq deserved to go home after all she'd put him through. She was the only one who really needed to remain in Ev. But that wasn't terribly comforting.

The room rumbled, interrupting her garbled thoughts.

"That'll be the shift," Hilda said quietly.

"We should get going," Gerad told his charges.

They bade their thanks to Hilda once more and goodbye's to Gelane and the other two before following Gerad out the door. Outside Reidar was waiting with the horse. The wind had followed the shift and was buffeting the little down ferociously.

"We'll have to hurry or we won't beat the storm before we reach the mountain!" Gerad shouted over the gale.

"Mountain?" Boq shouted.

Glinda pointed upwards. Once again Gerad had put them precisely where he'd said at the base of Drammenheim.

"The city's in the basin! Once we reach the mountain there's a pass to get there. Let's go!"

Hilda, Reidar and Gelane stood watch at the door as Glinda and Boq mounted their horse and galloped after Gerad down the road and out of the city.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for your patience with updates and for your feedback, it means so much!**


	8. They Have a Troubled Meeting

**Tale As Old As Time**

**They Have a Troubled Meeting**

* * *

The ride to Drammenheim was not a smooth one; Gerad led them up a steep and rocky trail rather than the main road to save time. Boq nearly toppled off the back of the horse three times before Glinda finally grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

"Thanks," he said bashfully.

"Just don't pull me off with you're gonna fall," she told him.

"You bet," Boq murmured lightly, hoping he wasn't about to make a fool of himself.

As they climbed further up the mountain the wind picked up strength. Glinda's hair whipped about and blinded Boq. She pulled her cloak tighter with one hand and wished it was thicker. Boq noticed that her skin had turned as icy white as it had been the night before and wished the same thing.

"Don't worry," Gerad yelled above the wind. "We'll make the pass before the storm breaks."

Boq and Glinda both sent worried glances skyward and hoped the Wolf was right. Black clouds were covering the sky; the full moon had nearly disappeared behind them, leaving very little light to see the trail by. In a few minutes even that bit of luminescence would be gone.

Glinda shivered and shrank back towards Boq, hoping his large tin frame would provide a little shelter against the freezing gale.

"Are you all right?" He asked, concerned that she might be getting hypothermic again.

"I'll be a lot more all right once we're out of this weather," Glinda gritted out, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. Boq pulled her cloak even tighter and hunkered down over her, cursing, once more, his inability to provide her with any extra warmth.

"How much further Gerad?" Boq yelled when the Wolf stopped suddenly.

"Not far at all, this is the pass."

Boq looked around and could vaguely make out the end of their trail as it met the road at the mouth of a cave. He squinted at it skeptically; it looked barely large enough to take a small carriage through.

"This is it?" Glinda asked her tone less than impressed.

"Well, it's not the main pass," Gerad admitted. "It's more of a back door, but it'll get us in and out of the weather at least. C'mon."

He began to pick his way over the rocks, and paused, "Oh, you probably ought to lead your horse Master Boq; the ceiling's a bit low."

While Glinda tried to decide whether she should be offended, Boq slid down awkwardly and pulled the reins from her hands. She clung to the horse's mane as Boq followed Gerad into the dark cave, leading them behind.

It was considerably warmer inside, if only because there was no wind. It was still dark, but despite that she could tell the tunnel was larger than it had looked from the outside. She only worried that they would stumble over rocks on the cave floor.

"It'll get lighter," Gerad promised.

True to his word, they went ten yards into the pass and it lit up quite suddenly. The path they followed was a flat plane of rock, that didn't touch the tunnel walls. Instead it dropped off sharply on either side and met water. In the little streams swam hundreds of tiny fish whose fluorescent bodies gave off enough electric blue light to illuminate not on the water but the rest of the passage way as well. Flecks of iridescent mica in the tunnel walls glittered as they passed, casting pinpricks of multi-colored light onto the travelers.

"It's beautiful," Glinda commented, as she marveled at the phenomenon. She giggled when she noticed Boq was literally glittering in the odd light. Boq noticed as well, and tried to glare but couldn't help but smile back at her.

"We're quite proud of it," Gerad replied, ignoring the significant glance the two humans shared before turning embarrassed gazes back to the trail. "All the mountain passes have shimmer fish. No one knows where they come from but they each have just enough magic to light their bodies. Unfortunately this makes them a highly sought after commodity, so the passes are rather heavily enchanted."

"Enchanted," Glinda asked, startled.

"Yes, they're one way only," Gerad explained. "You can't go out the way you came in. And of course there are guards posted to protect the city and ward of thieves and poachers."

"I see," Glinda said. "Did your Sorceress place the enchantments on the passages?"

Gerad barked in Wolfish laughter, it echoed off the stone walls and spooked Glinda's horse a bit, but Boq gave a tug on the reins and calmed him.

"Sorry," Gerad said tritely. "No, these caves have been magicked for centuries. The Sorceress isn't much older than you and has only been here a little over a year besides."

"And she's already an advisor to your Queen?"

"You sound as if you think this is unwise," Gerad said carefully.

"I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect," Glinda said diplomatically. "It's just, where we come from it usually takes much longer to reach that kind of position."

"Few are qualified for such a duty," Gerad agreed seriously. "But the since the necessary talents are rare, it narrows down the competition. And I think you'll find that the Queen herself is no stranger to sorcery. She has ways of discerning ability and character that allow her some speed in choosing her counsel."

"I see," Glinda said, and tried not to shudder when Gerad's description of his ruler reminded her just a little too much of her own former mentor; what with her ability to spot talent and "determine" character.

"Tell me more about the sorceress," she prodded. "I don't want to be completely ignorant when I meet her."

"Oh you'll be fine Lady Glinda," Gerad assured her in a friendly tone. "She's really not as intimidating as her title makes her sound."

"I'm sure she's lovely, but I'd still like to know what I'm dealing with. Does she have a name? How should I address her?"

"She'll introduce herself I'm sure," Gerad said uncomfortably. Elphaba hadn't told him how pushy this friend of hers would be. "After that there's really no need for formality, unless you require it. I suppose you technically outrank her anyway."

With that he picked up his pace, hoping if he stayed far enough ahead the blonde would get the hint and quit prying. Glinda sighed. Knowing so little about their "host" unsettle her, but she supposed she was really in no position to be making demands.

"You'll need to get down here Milady," Gerad informed her apologetically. "The guards will let you pass since you're with me, but they prefer you don't ride."

"Very well," Glinda said and swung her leg over to join the other. Boq offered his assistance and she surprised him by accepting it. He lifted her down as gently as he could and smiled when she immediately began to smooth her hair and skirt.

"You look beautiful," he assured her honestly.

Glinda glared at him but it was softened by her fierce blush, and she quickly realized she was on the verge of being a beast again.

"Sorry," she said.

"No need, I'm as anxious as you are."

"Ready then?" Gerad asked impatiently.

They nodded, so he began walking again. The streams ended and the tunnel plunged into darkness once more. A dim light broke through the blackness about twenty feet ahead of them and they moved toward it cautiously, worrying about rocks that lay waiting to trip them.

"The ground's smooth," Gerad told them, as if he sensed their concern. "Just move straight toward the exit and you'll be fine."

Glinda and Boq followed his instructions and in less than a minute they followed Gerad out of the cave and into the open air. Glinda squinted to see, but even outside of the cave it was too dark to see more than a few feet ahead.

"Aren't there lights in this city?" Boq asked, uncomfortable with the dark now that they were out in the open once more.

"Sure, but we're getting here kinda late," Gerad shrugged. "In any case it's safe to ride now. Just stick close to me and you'll be fine."

Boq sighed, and turned to lift Glinda up to the horse. He took the reins and led the horse once more, though he knew she was more than capable of guiding the animal after them.

"How much further?"

"Not far. This trail leads right to the palace; we'll be out of the weather in a few minutes."

"Let's get going then."

The wind met them as they started down the trail, but it wasn't as cold or fierce as it had been on the far side of the mountain. The path they followed was steep, but Boq and the horse managed to be as sure-footed as Gerad as they followed him through the dark. Glinda continued to clutch at the horse's mane, but relaxed enough to look around during her ride. Off in the distance she could see a few twinkling lights and wondered if they came from houses or obscure street lamps.

She turned her attention back to their path when they stopped suddenly at the edge o f a cliff.

"Where now?" Boq demanded, growing more than slightly exasperated with his own helplessness.

"Here," Gerad said simply, then threw his head back and howled.

Glinda's horse reared at the feral sound and she gripped scrambled for more hair to hang on to in terror.

"Whoa!" Boq commanded and pulled the horse's head down.

Glinda glared at the Wolf.

"Some warning, when you're going to spook my horse, would be nice," she said acidly.

Gerad ducked his head sheepishly but didn't apologize. Instead he turned back to the cliff where a heavy marble draw bridge was descending as if by magic.

"Here we are then," Gerad said and stepped carefully on the crossing.

The palace was stunning, even in the dark. Opalescent streaks in the marble caught the limited light and glimmered. Though the wind swept easily into the open air corridors, it calmed to a gentle breeze as it passed the pillars lining the walkway. Above the wind, and the clack of Gerad's claws, and clink of Boq's Tin feet against the floor, Glinda could hear the roar of falling water.

"Is there a waterfall nearby?" She asked, feeling out of sorts, because she could hear it but couldn't see it.

"The palace is built around on," Gerad informed them, pride coloring his voice. "A spring keeps it flowing, on the other side of the lake there's an outlet that feeds the Evian River."

"There's a lake," Boq asked, ever wary of bodies of water, "And _two_ waterfalls?"

"Oh there's more than that, or the Hold would flood. But they're not very big or as important."

Glinda marveled at the prospect of seeing the city in the light of day.

"Here we are," Gerad said as they descended a final stair case into a courtyard. There were a few lamps gleaming from posts, casting light across gardens sunk into marble and cobblestone. Glinda's appraising gaze caught two figures as they rose together from a stone bench. They were too far away for her to make out their faces but she could tell it was a man and a woman. The woman was just a few inches shorter than the man; they both wore dark clothes that seemed to absorb the light.

Glinda schooled her features into a regal expression, she donned a polite smile she often used on the press and prepared to introduce herself. Boq stood tall, proud and protective behind her.

As the Evian pair stepped into the glow cast by a lamp however, it became apparent that no introductions would be necessary.

"Glinda," the name fell from the woman's lips, loaded with relief, joy, regret and apprehension.

The blonde witch paled dramatically, and her smile disappeared as she gaped at the green woman before her.

"_You_," Boq spoke first in disbelief, to shocked to remember his hatred for a moment.

The two best friends ignored him, their eyes locked on one another's, neither sure what else to do. Elphaba was nervous and Glinda was completely overwhelmed, but not with joy.

"This isn't happening," she said, her voice cracking beneath the weight of her raging emotions. Pain clouded her features and her blue eyes glittered with tears. Everyone present stared at her, all of them having expected a vastly different reaction.

"I don't believe it," she insisted with a sob. She wanted desperately to turn and run but her body would not cooperate.

"No, Glinda, it's really me," Elphaba said gently, hoping to convince her friend their reunion was no dream.

Unfortunately it was more like a nightmare for Glinda. Though the memory of Elphaba's death had tortured her constantly in the two-plus years since that horrible day, she'd never considered that there could possibly be anything worse than that. Never in her most terrible dreams had she imagined that her best friend had not really died, but had abandoned her and let her live with the lies. No, the Elphie she had known would never have taken that easy way out and let those she cared for suffer for it.

"No," Glinda gasped and stumbled backwards and Elphaba tried to close the distance between them. She stopped only when her back hit Boq's body.

Elphaba looked to Fiyero, uncertain for the first time since they'd discovered the Grimmerie.

"Glinda," Fiyero tried gently. "It's okay, we're real. Everything is all right."

"No," the distraught witch said again, this time her voice was fierce through her tears. "No, it is not 'all right'. You left me!"

She swiped at the traitorous tears blazing trails down her porcelain cheeks. Fiyero took a step forward and again she tried to step back. Even Boq was confused. Glinda had spent a good portion of their trip defending Elphaba's memory. Her behavior now was completely contradictory.

"Glinda, we-

"Is something wrong?" A new voice cut in, this one unfamiliar but pleasant and entrancing.

"You're Majesty," Gerad said, and bowed.

Fiyero and Elphaba declined their heads respectively to the speaker standing behind Glinda and Boq. The two turned, and Glinda promptly fainted.

* * *

**A/N: Please review!**


	9. With a Not So Wicked Witch

**Tale ****As**** Old As Time**

**With a Not So Wicked Witch**

**Hallo, thanks for those who reviewed last chapter, including Eve, who sent an email, they seriously make my life.**

* * *

Boq caught Glinda, but not very gently. He winced when he felt her underarms crash against his sharp joints. There was no helping it however, and in any case she would appreciate being dropped to the cobblestones less than she would waking up with a few bruises. He swept her up as tenderly as he could and cradled her as he looked for someone to glare at. He couldn't bear to look at Elphaba, or Fiyero, that left the Dragon who'd startled Glinda in the first place. And the second his gaze caught the Dragon's mercurial eyes he decided it was not in his best interest to be glaring at it.

"Oh dear," the Dragon said, in its lyrical voice. She didn't quite look apologetic, after all Dragons rarely apologized for anything, but Boq decided he wasn't versed enough in reptilian facial expressions to say for sure. "I suppose she wasn't expecting me."

Boq gaped, utterly devoid of a response.

"I think she was overly worked up to begin with," Gerad commented. Elphaba glowered at him, but he ignored it.

"Pardon me, Master Tin Man," the Dragon addressed him. "I am Voreil, Queen of Ev if you want the full glory of it, but you may address me as Voreil. I trust no further introductions are necessary?"

"No," Boq said, finding his shaky voice.

"Good, then I suggest we all head inside. It's only going to grow colder, and I don't care for that sort of thing."

It all seemed so reasonable when Voreil said it; Boq couldn't help but put aside his discomfort with the situation and follow her across the courtyard. Gerad followed at Boq's heels as if it were the only natural thing for him to do. Elphaba and Fiyero stared after them incredulously.

"Well," Fiyero said, he opened his mouth to continue and found that he had absolutely nothing tactful to say.

Elphaba turned her gaze to him expectantly, her attempt at a stern glance failed miserably however, as he could easily discern the concern and hurt behind the façade.

"Well what?" She demanded.

"I guess we should've warned her." He fumbled the words out in his haste to find something, _anything_ to say. But it was the wrong thing, and now the glare his wife fixed him with was real to the core.

"About what exactly, the issue of a Dragon being in her midst or the little fact that her former best friend and fiancé are, in fact, alive?" Elphaba snapped, her temper flaring defensively. "Well thank you _very _much for being so eager to disclose both of those truths. I'm sure she appreciates it."

With that she stormed after Voreil and Glinda. Fiyero sighed and followed her. He should have known forcing Elphaba Thropp to hide from her best friend would come back and bite him in the ass.

* * *

"I appreciate your generous hospitality," Boq said politely as Voreil led him through the dimly lit palace.

The Dragon's lips pulled back in a smile, which was oddly not menacing even though it showcased two perfectly sharp rows of teeth.

"You'd be wise to reserve you gratitude for those who have earned it Master Tin Man," she admonished pleasantly. "I assure you, I had very little to do with your rescue and certainly would not be playing concierge at this hour of were it not for the express wishes of Lady and Master Tiggular."

Boq winced and shifted Glinda just a bit.

"Of course I'll thank them as well," he said stiffly. "Will they be following?"

"I imagine," she replied with what passed for a smirk. "I look forward to the explanation for all of this at a more reasonable hour and when your friend is feeling better."

Boq forced a smile and nodded acquiescently.

"Here we are," The Dragon said, sounding positively pleased with herself. She paused at the entryway of a pavilion-like room. Candles hung from the dome ceiling on golden ropes, spaced evenly between the pillars. An enormous bed, laden with a colorful assortment blankets and pillows, stood on the far side of the room, gauzy curtains draped around it, suspended, Boq guessed, by magic. A blue and gold sofa set added another splash of color to the otherwise white room; it was arranged to the right of the entryway, the space to the left was occupied by a wardrobe and privacy divider.

"It's stunning," Boq said truthfully, but he worried about how…airy…it was.

"The candles are enchanted," Voreil informed him, as if she'd hear his thoughts. "They create a shield around the room, keeping the temperature comfortable as well as making it impossible for those outside to see in; as long as the candles are lit this room might as well be enclosed in stone walls. Elphaba will show you how to snuff and rekindle them tomorrow."

"Why don't you put her on the bed Boq," Elphaba herself suggested firmly as she breezed passed him with a basin of water in her hands.

He didn't need to be told twice, since he was going to do that anyway. Elphaba set the basin down on the nightstand and pulled a wet cloth from the water. Boq stared at the liquid running painlessly off her skin and was embarrassed at his willingness to believe the empty-headed superstitions that had powered the Witch Hunt two years prior. It all seemed so ridiculous in hindsight he wondered how he'd ever found it within himself to believe it. Anger did strange things to a person he supposed.

"If you won't be needing anymore," Voreil spoke from the doorway, since her stature prevented her from entering the comparatively small room.

"No," Elphaba said, turning to the Dragon, with a grateful expression. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course, good night my dear," Voreil replied evenly and glided away silently.

"Is she always like that?" The question was out before Boq could censor himself.

"Usually," Elphaba allowed herself an amused smile as she dabbed the dirt away from Glinda's face. "You'll find most other Dragon's aren't nearly as serene, but Voreil has an uncanny ability to sweep into a room and defuse even the most heated situations."

That explained why Boq felt so calm when he had expected to have an unfailing urge to finish the job he'd led the mob to do two years ago. Even though the Dragon was long gone he watched quietly, thinking himself rather useless, as Elphaba tended to Glinda. He was amazed at the care she took to wash the blonde's face and arms, and then, placing the cloth back in the basin, gently arrange waves of golden hair across the pillow.

"You aren't going to wake her?"

Elphaba nodded, "I'll keep an eye on her, but I think she's lapsed into normal sleep now and I imagine she needs it."

"She hasn't had much since leaving the city," Boq agreed. "And after her near miss last night she needs it more than ever."

"What happened?"

"Well, there was a brush with a wild cat, and then we got caught in a rainstorm. I don't know how she did it but she managed to get herself, our horse, and me, into a cave for shelter. She started a fire magically, and de-rusted me. By the time she finished she was nearly blue from the cold, but it didn't stop her," Boq said with obvious admiration as he carefully pulled Glinda's boots off and tucked her feet beneath a blanket.

He turned to Elphaba, trying to summon the hatred he'd felt for her very memory only a few days before, and found himself vacillating between anger, confusion and desire to understand. Elphaba folded her arms, finding she'd run out of work to busy them with, and stood uncomfortable under the Munchkin-turned-Tin-Man's scrutiny.

"Why did you do it?" He demanded suddenly.

"What?" She asked, though she had a feeling she knew what he meant.

"You took away my _life_, I never meant to hurt your sister!" He whispered loudly in an attempt to keep his voice from disturbing the beauty on the bed. He might as well have yelled for the effect that it had on Elphaba, her eyes suddenly filled with regret, and she couldn't even look at him; which only served to encourage him. "You act as though you're not wicked, and Glinda spent the majority of our, albeit limited, conversations defending you. But _look_ at me! You took everything from me, and left me in this Tin prison! _Why?_"

He wanted to be mad, his words reflected that, but they had no emotional backing. He wanted to feel something, and found he couldn't. It was so confusing, his head kept telling him he was angry and yet he couldn't _feel_ it.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Elphaba told him definitively.

"Try me," he grumbled.

"I did it to save you."

"You imprisoned me! You took away the only thing I had! For what? Your sister? "

"No," Elphaba said sharply. "Nessa took your heart, I gave you a way to live without it. I thought you might prefer life to death. I apologize in that serious lapse in judgment on my part, if you'd like I'll gladly reverse it and you can take up the remainder of this discussion with my dearly departed sister."

Boq backpedaled, and looked horrified with himself.

"Glinda was right?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I have no idea; it would depend entirely upon what she told you."

"What you told me," Boq admitted, _and with a remarkable impression of your temper to boot_. Wisely he did not vocalize the last bit of the thought.

"Then yes I suppose she was. My offer still stands though, I'm sure Nessa would _love_ to see you."

Boq tried to glare at her and failed miserably, but then he realized something and the conversation took a dramatic turn.

"Wait, you can reverse it?"

Elphaba frowned, "If you would like to be a human without a heart? Yes, it's possible. But, unless you've had a breakthrough in science I haven't heard of, you would find yourself quite dead quite quickly if you tried being human without a heart."

As quickly as he'd let himself hope, it was dashed.

"You can't fix that? There isn't a way to turn me back into a normal human? You must have done this before, you're a witch."

"I don't make a habit of turning heartless munchkins into Tin Men Boq."

"Well no," Boq quickly corrected himself. "But you haven't changed a human into something they're not supposed to be and then back again before? How did you know it would even work to change me then?"

"I didn't," Elphaba said icily, willing herself not to mention that she had in fact, been able to successfully reverse one of her botched spells. But even Dragons couldn't save Boq if he had no heart. "I took a chance, because it was your only chance and you had nothing to lose."

"I lost everything Elphaba," he told her despondently. "I can't feel anything. And if nothing else, this adventure outside Oz has taught me that I'm completely useless because of that. Do you know that I sacrificed nearly twenty men four days ago? Without a thought, without remorse I left them to die, because I saw a way to get Glinda out of the line of fire."

"You think that makes you unfeeling? Because you protected her in the only way you could think of?"

Boq let out a frustrated groan. "No, what I did was unforgivable; Glinda would even agree with that."

"Three of your men are alive," Elphaba revealed, finding herself wanting to comfort him. "We found them earlier today. They told me what happened. All they care about is Glinda's safety, which is the only thing they're even thinking about. Still, after four days. You kept her safe, and for that they will sing your praises."

"They're not dead," Boq pointed out.

"No, but their friends are," Elphaba said bluntly. "What you did was necessary or you wouldn't have done it. You're a good man Boq, even if you're a Tin Man."

"That's beside the point," Boq insisted, trying to save his failing argument. "One thing kept me going through years of _slavery_ and that was my love for Glinda. The memory of it is the only thing that keeps me going. I'm just a tick-tock without it. But it's not enough, I can't feel it. I can't feel love."

"You mean you can't feel the rush of hormones invading your system and making you act like a love-sick schoolboy," Elphaba corrected him. "That's not love, that's only science and chemistry. Boq you have emotions, your body just no longer reacts to them."

Boq realized she was right. It didn't make him feel any better.

"You can't imagine how awful it is," he whispered.

"No, I can't," Elphaba agreed solemnly.

Boq reached out and grasped one of Glinda's hands, and held it gently.

"The only thing in the entire world I want is to be able to do this and feel her hand in mine. Not just the weight of it. I want to feel her skin, to know if it's cold or warm; if it's as soft as it looks," his mouth conformed to a triangular, self-deprecating grin. "I suppose that was never for me though was it?"

"Boq," Elphaba ventured, placing her own hand atop his. "I'll try."

"Try what? You've already said there's nothing you can do."

"You were right; you're not the only one whose life I botched in an attempt to save it. I turned Fiyero into a Scarecrow. They tortured him to find me, he would have bled to death, but my spell changed him so he would live without it."

"Fiyero?" Boq gasped surprised. "But he's a man!"

"The problem with spells is that when they're reversed, whatever was enchanted reverts to the exact same state it was in before the spell was cast. When I reversed the spell on Fiyero he just changed into a dying man again. We had to give him a massive amount of blood. It wasn't without side-effects though, good ones and horrible ones. I will try to find a way to reverse you without killing you, but there will be terms and conditions that apply. There's a chance it might not be worth it."

"Anything is worth it."

"Even if she never loves you back?"

Boq slumped. "She nearly died because I couldn't keep her warm. The others were right; anything that will protect her is worth it."

"Very well," Elphaba said.

As if he'd been waiting (and he probably had been) for their conversation to end, Fiyero picked that moment to bound into the room with a white sheet rolled up in his left hand. He handed it to Elphaba, who unfurled it and revealed that it wasn't a sheet at all but a clean nightgown.

"It'll be big, but it'll do," she decided. She met his eyes, guilt for her outburst in the courtyard surfacing in her expression. "Thanks."

He flashed her a roguish grin, to let her know her know all was well.

"We found three of your comrades in the forest. They're relieved that Glinda is safe and well. They'd like to hear it from you though," he told Boq. "I don't think they trust me."

Boq nodded, but hesitated when his glance caught Glinda's still form.

"She'll be fine, I'll get her into the nightgown and sit with her," Elphaba told him, noticing his uncertainty.

"I'll show you how to get to your men's quarters," Fiyero offered, and then turned to Elphaba. "Then I'm heading to the hatchery."

She nodded and he dropped a kiss to her lips quickly.

"C'mon Boq," he said in a tone altogether too cheery, and took Boq's arm to steer him into the corridor.

Elphaba waited until she couldn't see them anymore and turned to her unconscious friend, wondering if Glinda was going to wake up as mad as she'd been in the courtyard.

* * *

**A/N: And this is the part of the story where I throw away all my morals (what little is left) and shamelessly demand reviews. So review and ye shall have…a lengthy conversation between Glinda and Elphaba, some ****Elphieyero****, and possibly if there's time after that a little dash of UST for ****everbody's**** favorite rather short couple. I'm serious. Review, go!**


	10. And the Tin Man Gives Some Good Advice

**Tale as Old as Time**

**And the Tin Man Gives Some Good Advice**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! Thank you for the feedback, it truly helps this move along, even when school is working against me.**

* * *

Elphaba waited for Boq and Fiyero's footsteps to fade down the hall before she turned back to Glinda. She twisted the nightgown in her hands, trying to decide if it might not be best to just let Glinda sleep in her clothes. Her conviction that her friend would be far more comfortable in the light sleepwear rather than her heavy denim skirt won out however, so she gently began the process of removing Glinda's layers. Despite her care not to jostle the blonde too much, Glinda began to wake, and Elphaba stepped back, hoping she would relax and go back to sleep.

"Elphaba," Glinda whispered, she blinked a few times to clear her vision and to convince herself that this wasn't some warped nightmare. She'd never imagined she'd be disappointed when Elphaba didn't fade away when she woke up.

The green woman leaned against the bed. She searched Glinda's eyes for some hint as to what was coming and found tears welling up in the blue orbs, and her hopes that Glinda would be happy with the truth were snuffed. She felt like crying herself but didn't allow herself the indulgence. Glinda was the one who had been left behind after all.

"What happened?" Glinda demanded, sitting up, and pulling away when Elphaba reached out to stop her. She swung her bare legs over the edge of the bed but didn't hop down; instead she turned to Elphaba and stared at her expectantly. The tears were gone from her eyes and white hot anger had replaced them.

"You passed out in the courtyard," Elphaba explained cautiously. Despite her preparation for Glinda's ire, she was completely flummoxed as to how to deal with it. "We brought you up here hoping you'd sleep through the night."

"There was a dragon?" It was really more of a statement than a question.

"_D_ragon," Elphaba corrected out of habit, "The Queen; she startled you."

"The queen is a Dragon?" Glinda asked, and then jumped to the next question because she honestly didn't care whether the Queen was a Dragon or a Dwarf at this point. "Where is Boq?"

"Fiyero took him down the hall. Three of your guards were found earlier, he wanted to see them."

Glinda's eyes grew wide, and for a brief second her animosity wavered to something more sorrowful.

"Only three?" She asked quietly. "Where were they found?"

"Near the border," Elphaba answered apologetically. "They said they were the only survivors. It seems they're right."

Glinda set her jaw, and refused to let her guilt get the best of her. She'd had enough guilt for one lifetime, and though the fact that Elphaba was apparently alive and well should have alleviated at least some of it, that fact strangely made her only feel worse.

"I'd like to see them." She said in a tone that made it clear she expected to get her way.

"You should wait till tomorrow, you all need sleep and they only wanted to be sure you're okay."

Glinda leveled another fierce glare at her.

"It's very late," Elphaba insisted. "Boq probably had to wake them just to tell them."

"Fine," Glinda bit out, deciding she could probably order Boq to take her to them when he returned.

"This is for you," Elphaba offered the nightgown. "It'll be big, we can find something better tomorrow."

"Thank you," the politician in Glinda automatically replied and she took the garment.

"You're welcome. I suppose I'll leave you to it then. There's a lavatory across the hall should you need it. Boq will be back soon, and there are guards posted at either end of the corridor; if you need anything let them know and they'll find me."

Glinda nodded curtly and Elphaba supposed that was all the dismissal she was going to get.

"Goodnight then," she said, hoping her own disappointment wasn't obvious.

She paused halfway to the door and turned back to Glinda, who was staunchly waiting for her to disappear.

"I am sorry," she said in a rush. "I wanted to tell you, I-

"Not as sorry as I am," Glinda cut her off sharply. "I thought I lost my best friend; if I had realized she'd deserted me on purpose I wouldn't have wasted the last two years of my life wishing they'd killed _me_ instead, and trying to make up for the fact that they hadn't."

Elphaba's mouth opened, but nothing came out. No retort, denial, or catty reply could possible top _that_.

"Glinda I-"

"Just _go _Elphaba," Glinda told her too exhausted to deal with her excuses.

Elphaba spun on her heal and strode out the door, swiping at the hot tears that pooled in her eyes. She nodded briskly to the guard without looking at him and then whipped around the corner out of sight. She halted when she reached a cross section, debating whether to head to her room or to the hatchery where Fiyero was bound to be. She went left, deciding she wanted nothing to do with an empty room after her exchange with Glinda.

She found him perched cross-legged next to the hatchling that had yet to make an appearance. He hadn't lit any of the torches lining the walls, which didn't surprise her, but since his arm was draped around his egg it glowed bright enough for Elphaba to see by. She passed her sleeve over her eyes, hoping all evidence of her tears had faded enough that he wouldn't notice (though she knew that he probably would anyway) and crossed to him. He didn't so much as blink when she slipped her arms around his back.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," he quipped, and craned his neck to see her. She tried to smile back at him but it faltered on her lips. "Elphaba?"

He unlatched her arms from his neck and tugged her around to face him. Once his skin lost contact with the egg the glow stopped, and nothing but the faint light from beneath the door lit the room. She couldn't see him, though his face was only inches from her own. He could see her perfectly well through Dragon enhanced eyes however, and knew immediately that things hadn't gone so well with Glinda.

"She woke up?"

Elphaba nodded, and let him pull her into his arms.

"She thinks we deserted her," she informed him, not adding that she privately agreed, there was no reason for Fiyero to feel worse as well.

"She'll come around tomorrow," Fiyero said seriously, certain that Glinda would understand why they'd done things the way they had. She wasn't _completely_ unreasonable.

"I don't think she will," Elphaba admitted sadly. "It's not just the shock. She's completely different, all her optimism is gone and she's so _angry_…she's turned into me. "

Fiyero nearly scoffed at that, but a glance at his wife's face assured him that that would be most unwise.

"Look," he said finally, cupping her face and directing her gaze to meet his eyes, though she still couldn't see them. "She'll forgive you. It might take some time, she's obviously pretty hurt. But she'll give you a chance to explain, and she'll realize that you did the best you could. You've got time, it's not like she's going to be able to leave anytime soon."

"She'll be thrilled I'm sure," Elphaba said dryly, and relaxed into him once more. "Who made you so wise?"

"Well," Fiyero drawled, "Dron really should get some of the credit, but really it's just experience. I had to deal with her after you left the first time remember?"

Elphaba flinched, and then smirked, because she knew how impossible Glinda had been then as well.

"You should get some sleep, morning's not far off and Glinda will be up with the sun demanding all sorts of explanations. And, if she has miraculously turned into you, then she's not going to bother waiting for us to get them."

"I'm not that impatient," Elphaba retorted.

"Yes, you are," Fiyero informed her, punctuating his words with a kiss.

"I love you too," Elphaba said cheekily, and then, unsatisfied with his swift peck, pulled him back down for a proper kiss.

* * *

When Boq returned to the room that had been appointed to Glinda he was surprised to find Elphaba had gone, but admitted to himself that he was a little bit relieved as well. Despite the non-existence of his need to sleep he was exhausted. Mentally exhausted, he supposed, from the day's adventures and revelations. After all, even Tin Men could become overwhelmed in a flood of new information and today had certainly been full of it. So he was grateful that finally things had slowed down and he could pretend that nothing had really changed since leaving the forest.

He looked to the bed in search of Glinda, and found she'd moved to the middle, her face buried in pillows and a mass of long golden hair. The diaphanous curtains had been pulled, and despite their transparency they seemed to almost completely block out the light from the candles. He eyed the easy chair where he supposed he would spend the night, but crossed the room to the bed instead. He stood without disturbing the drapes, listening for the sound of her breathing. Only when he realized that the now familiar rhythm was oddly stilted and stifled did he pull the drapes apart just slightly.

"Glinda?" He whispered, forgetting formalities when he saw her delicate frame shudder. For a moment she didn't move at all, as if she'd held her breath in an attempt to make him believe she was asleep, and then came another shuddering breath that was barely audible through the barrier of the pillows.

"Glinda," He questioned again, parting the drapes further and reaching inside to touch her bare arm gently. She spun wildly, startled by the feel of cold metal on her flesh.

"Boq?"

"Yeah," Boq said uncomfortably, he couldn't quite see her features in the dim lighting and he wondered if she'd been crying or if he'd imagined it. He shifted nervously, and the light reflected suddenly off his torso and illuminated her face. It was brief, but it was enough for him to glimpse her red eyes and tear streaked face. "You…Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Glinda insisted uncomfortably.

"You're crying."

"I'm not," she replied petulantly. She stared him down, knowing he wasn't positive of his accusation, and knowing if she could hold his gaze for just a second longer he'd be convinced and she could break down in peace. Unfortunately her nose was runny from her tears and she sniffled involuntarily, before h could be placated.

Sighing, Boq slipped clumsily through the drapes and managed to sit on the edge of the bed. He supposed that was a little bold, but decided that propriety wasn't a priority at that point.

"Yes you are," he said, knowing she wouldn't deny it now. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder once more, knowing his Tin hands wouldn't convey any warmth but at least it was something.

Glinda swallowed hard, she wanted to shrug away but found the cool weight of Boq's hand against her anger-flushed skin was enticingly comforting,

"How are the guards?" She asked, for want of anything better to say.

"They'll be alright. They'd like to see you tomorrow," Boq said, deciding pushing her to talk would only push her away. He let his thumb rub a gentle circle on her shoulder before trailing his hand down her arm as he pulled it away, figuring he shouldn't push his luck there either. She caught his hand and squeezed it quickly, gratefully, before pulling away.

"Who…who made it?"

"Laertes, Duillin, and Keilbein. Laertes has several broken ribs, and a broken leg, and Keilbein has a nasty arrow wound in his arm but they've both been taken care of since getting here. Apparently Elphaba herself made sure they had every medicinal treatment necessary."

Glinda seemed to shrink away from the very mention of the green woman's name, her expression turned stony. Boq could have kicked himself, he'd been doing so well.

"Of course," Glinda said tightly. "She's not _completely_ wicked."

"You don't mean that," Boq said.

"Of course I do. I've spent the last few days defending her haven't I? If I thought she was completely wicked I wouldn't have bothered." She tried to appear haughty, but sniffled again and completely lost the effect.

"No, I mean you don't think she's wicked at all. That's why you defended her so."

"Well, ignorance is bliss isn't it?" She returned icily.

Boq wasn't about to let her become snippy again, he'd gotten through too many of her walls to have her throw them up again. And he'd discovered the best way to get through her defenses was to rile her up.

"You can't honestly tell me you're not happy to find that Elphaba and Fiyero are alive?"

"I don't know what I am," Glinda snapped. "I do know that if you think you're going to psychologically counsel me at this point then you are seriously mistaken Lieutenant."

"I won't then," Boq said stubbornly. "I'm not going to tell you what to think about this. But I do think that she deserves a chance."

"That's rich coming from you," Glinda said derisively.

"I realize that," he admitted. "But I talked with her tonight. Not for very long granted, but long enough to know that Elphaba would sooner die that hurt you."

Glinda flinched at his word choice, but didn't protest for once. He reached for her hand again and continued bravely, "I know you're shocked, and I know that you're hurt. But at least give her a chance to explain herself before you declare your unadulterated loathing."

Boq squeezed her hand carefully, and then slid from the bed.

"Get some sleep Lady Glinda, things will look better in the morning."

He turned and made his way to the easy chair that faced the entryway; he could hear Glinda shifting on the bed behind him and assumed she was settling in. He was surprised when she appeared at his side. He looked up questioningly at her, noticing for the first time that red dots appeared around her eyes when she cried.

"Thank you," she whispered, and leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek.

Then just as soon as she'd appeared she was gone, climbing back into her bed without another word.

"Goodnight Lady Glinda," he said slightly dazed.

There was no reply, in just a few minutes he could hear her even breathing and knew she was down for the count.

* * *

**Please review!  
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